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EXCELLENCE OF THE 

ROSARY 


CONFERENCES FOR DEVOTIONS 
IN HONOR OF THE 
BLESSED VIRGIN 


BY 


Rev. M. J. FRINGS 



NEW YORK 
JOSEPH F. WAGNER 


JJtfcit €>bstat 

remigius lafort, d.d. 



Censor 


imprimatur 

JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY 

Archbishop of New York 


New York, September 19,1912. 


Copyright, 1912, by Joseph ?. Wagner, New York 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I. The Name of this Devotion .i 

II. The Origin of the Rosary.8 

III. The Power of the Rosary.15 

IV. The Sign of the Cross.23 

V. The Apostles’ Creed.31 

VI. The Glory Be to the Father.38 

VII. The Our Father. 44 

VIII. The Hail Mary.52 

IX. The Prayer to Increase the Three Divine Virtues . 58 

X. The Excellence of the Rosary in Regard to Its Form 65 

XI. The Excellence of the Rosary on Account of the 

Mysteries Commemorated.70 













THE ROSARY 

CONFERENCES FOR SODALITIES B. V. M. 


I. THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION 

“I was exalted as a rose plant in Jericho.”—Ecclus. xxiv, 18. 

My dear brethren, when Pope Pius IX, on May 23, 1877, gave 
audience to a number of pious pilgrims he said to them: “Have 
courage, my dear children! I exhort you to fight against the 
persecution of the Church and against anarchy, not with the sword, 
but with the rosary, with prayer and good example.” This Pope, 
who with great wisdom and strong hand has guided for thirty-two 
years the bark of Peter, which in many violent storms had been 
rocked to and fro, he who well knew the great dangers of our 
times, regarded the rosary as a conquering weapon. 

What great confidence his successor, Pope Leo XIII, placed in the 
veneration and invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by means 
of the rosary! He exhorted all Christianity to pray the rosary daily 
during the month of October, in order to obtain assistance in these 
distressing times. In his brief on this occasion Leo XIII says: It 
has been a favorite and prevalent custom of Catholics, in times 
of need and danger, to take refuge in Mary, and to seek consola¬ 
tion from her motherly concern.” 

Thus the firm reliance and confidence rightly placed by the 
Catholic Church in the mother of God is stanchly avowed. 

As a matter of fact, Mary, the immaculate Virgin, free from 
original sin, the chosen mother of God, is endowed with such 
power by her Son, as no other creature, man or angel, has ever re¬ 
ceived or can receive. 


1 



2 


THE ROSARY 


The efficacy of this great devotion to the great Queen of Heaven 
had been demonstrated especially when false teachings, depravity, 
or other great enemies threatened disaster to Christians. 

History, early and recent, relates how public and private devotion 
to the mother of God was held in times of calamity and distress, and 
how these prayers were heard, and help was granted. Thus origi¬ 
nated the exalted titles which Catholics give to the Blessed Virgin, 
such as Help of Christians, Refuge of Sinners, etc. 

To these titles was added another, when under date of December 
io, 1883, Leo XIII directed that the title “Queen of the Rosary” be 
added to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. In his brief the Holy 
Father expresses the desire that all the faithful practise daily the 
devotion of the rosary. If, therefore, the rosary is considered of 
such great power and efficacy by the head of the Church, the rep¬ 
resentative of Christ, it is befitting that we heed his words and 
pray often and devoutly by means of the rosary. 

If this prayer were better understood it would be prayed with 
more devotion, and greater benefit would come from it. In order, 
then, to spread a better knowledge, and to urge the devout recital of 
the rosary, let us contemplate this devotion in a course of instruc¬ 
tive addresses. The name rosary may be the subject of to-day’s 
discourse. 

The devotion of the rosary consists in the recital of a fixed num¬ 
ber of Our Fathers and Hail Marys, combined with the meditation 
on certain mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The name 
rosary is significant. It is a symbol of Mary, also of the devotion 
to her. We will endeavor to make this clear. 

The realm of nature is the symbol of the realm of grace, as the 
realm of grace is a symbol of the realm of glory. It was God’s 
intention to let His earthly creation be a reflection of the divine 



THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION 


3 


perfections, of the supernatural, of divinity, so that man might 
perceive the supernatural through created things, and thus more 
readily understand it. “For the invisible things of him, from the 
creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the 
things that are made” (Rom. i, 20). 

Our first parents obtained a clear conception of the supernatural 
through the natural things of this life. Nature was to them an open 
book, in which they could read the divine perfections. Through 
sin the understanding of man was dimmed and he failed in the in¬ 
terpretation of nature. Instead of being led to God through it, he 
allowed himself to become estranged, and from a master became the 
slave of nature. 

Then Christ came and redeemed the world from the slavery of sin 
and again granted to man the clear conception of the true God, as 
also the right understanding of nature. This is verified in the saints 
and we have a beautiful example inf St. Francis of Assisi. About 
his interpretation and meditation of nature St. Bonaventure says: 
“He considered all things created as original from God, and saw in 
each creature the Creator and Preserver.” 

Everything in nature was to him a symbol of spiritual life. He 
took delight especially in flowers, because they reminded him of the 
flower from the root of Jesse, which refreshens and gladdens the 
whole world. 

See, my dear brethren, this is the correct, the Christian way of 
contemplating nature. The spiritual world is reflected in the visible. 

And Jesus being the King and Mary the Queen in the realm of 
grace and glory, nature contains symbols that refer to Jesus and 
Mary. All things of this creation: from the flowers of .the valley 
to the brilliant stars that illumine the night, all things in nature 
are symbols of the glorious mother of God. Among many such 


4 


THE ROSARY 


symbols used in Holy Scripture we find Mary called the mystical 
rose. The Church therefore regards the rose as a symbol of Mary. 
Let us see in what the likeness consists. 

If on a summer’s day we enter a garden, where various flowers 
through their form, color and sweet odor delight and refresh us, 
our eye is chiefly attracted by the rose. We are especially well 
pleased with it. The rose is the queen of flowers in form, color and 
fragrant odor, because of its beauty. 

Let us turn now our gaze to the spiritual garden, the Church of 
Christ. The various flowers there are the faithful, adorned with 
piety and virtue, and spreading the fragrance of saintliness with 
which God is pleased. In the Canticle of Canticles the Lamb of God 
is pictured as feeding among the lilies. A beautiful thought! It 
tells us how the Lamb of God, our divine Saviour, is fond of the 
flowers of God, the God-loving souls, as is the lamb of the lilies. 

And in this garden of God, the Holy Church, Mary is the rose, 
the pride of the garden, the queen of the flowers. The rose is there¬ 
fore the most beautiful symbol of Mary, of all saints the queen, 
exalted above all saints in sublimity, beauty, gentleness and sweet¬ 
ness. Therefore, because Mary is among the saints what the rose 
is among flowers, she is called “the mystical rose.” And the name 
rosary is to remind us of this. 

The rose, furthermore, signifies the virtuous life of Mary the 
virgin. The rosebud is a beautiful symbol of virginity. It is hidden 
as under a veil. Lovely is the Christian virgin, hidden in the garb 
of innocence like a rosebud. Mary is the Virgin of Virgins, and can 
above all be compared to the fair and undefiled rosebud. 

The open, blooming rose is an emblem of pure motherhood. Like 
the opened radiant rose the Christian mother is in the full vigor of 
life; her heart open with true love for her husband and children; 


THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION 


5 


and she unfolds her soul to heaven, so that through prayer she may 
receive the needed assistance for herself and hers. Through her 
good example in Christian virtues she spreads around her the 
fragrance of a God-pleasing life, and encourages those who asso¬ 
ciate with her to imitate her virtues. 

Mary is the immaculate virgin and mother, mother of God, and 
of all mankind. She is the most noble and perfect of all mothers. 
Like a magnificent rose she shines in the splendor of her virtues, and 
is the perfect example for all mothers. Because her heart is fired 
with love for God and man, she is, as St. Jordanus says, likened to 
the flaming red rose. 

There is no rose but has its thorns. The thorns are a figure of 
suffering, of sorrow, of the temptations in life, under which only a 
truly virtuous life can thrive. 

St. Brigid relates in her revelations how she at one time was 
downcast because the enemies of Christ were so powerful, and how 
she was consoled by the mother of God herself, who told her to re¬ 
member the rose among the thorns. “The rose,” so said Mary, 
“gives a fragrant odor; it is beautiful to the sight, and tender to the 
touch, and yet it grows among thorns, inimical to beauty and tender¬ 
ness. So may also those who are mild, patient, beautiful in virtue, 
be put to a test among adversaries. And as the thorn, on the other 
hand, guards, so do wicked surroundings protect the just against sin 
by demonstrating to them the destructiveness of sin.” 

The life of Mary was interwoven with many sorrows and she is 
justly called “a rose among thorns.” St. Brigid says: “The Virgin 
may suitably be called a blooming rose. Just as the gentle rose is 
placed among thorns, so this gentle Virgin was surrounded by 
sorrow.” 

The rose obtains its life through the stem, to which it is closely 


6 


THE ROSARY 


united. A rose broken from the stem will soon wither. So Mary 
received all her graces from Jesus, with whom she was united 
through the liveliest faith and ardent love. 

Mary is in truth a spiritual, a mystic rose. The rose therefore is 
a fitting symbol of the virtuous life of the mother of God. As 
mystical rose she deserves our admiration and veneration, and she 
must be our example and model in all Christian virtues, the model 
of a true spiritual life. 

The name rosary, therefore, is well suited to this devotion. For 
it is a wreath of spiritual roses, as it were, which we place at the 
feet of Mary, in order to show our love and veneration. 

The rose has, moreover, been at all times regarded as a symbol of 
love. It was already the custom of the early Christians to adorn on 
feast days the pictures and statues of the saints with wreaths of 
roses, especially on feast days of the Blessed Virgin. 

St. Dominic, inspired and instructed by Mary, formed from the 
beautiful and efficacious prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, 
together with the principal mysteries from the lives of Jesus and 
Mary, a beautiful wreath, and called it the “Rosary.” 

The threefold mysteries represented in the devotion again give it 
a resemblance to the rose. The green of the rose is the color of 
hope and confidence. It is represented in the glorious rosary. The 
thorns are represented in the sorrowful rosary. The beautiful red 
petals of the rose, finally, are represented in the joyful rosary, in the 
glories of Jesus and Mary. 

Thus is shown therefore the deep and significant meaning of the 
name rosary. And as the rosary reminds us of all the virtues, the 
spiritual beauty and sublimity of Mary, and as it is a worthy mani¬ 
festation of our love and veneration for the mother of God it is meet 
that we hold the rosary in high esteem. And Mary finds delight in 


THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION 


7 


this devotion, for it reminds her of all the good God did for her, 
and for which all nations pronounce her blessed. 

Oh, let us then resolve to wind this wreath frequently, to lay it 
often at the feet of the noble, the gracious queen of the Rosary! 


8 


THE ROSARY 


II. THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY 
"The Highest himself hath founded her.”—Ps. lxxxvi. 

My dear brethren, in our consideration on the rosary let us to-day 
reflect upon its origin. 

Its origin and age bestow on this devotion a great dignity. From 
the earliest times of Christianity it has been the custom of the 
Christians to observe in their prayers method and perseverance. 
Thus it was the custom of the hermits of the Orient, as far back as 
the fourth century, to devise a sequence of certain prayers, which 
they counted on pebbles. We also know that long ago in England 
a so-called Paternoster-cord was used for this purpose. St. Gregory, 
at the end of the fourth century, spoke of such a method of devotion 
in veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This pious bishop 
thought a wreath of spiritual roses would be more pleasing to the 
blessed Virgin than the natural roses with which the faithful 
adorned her altar. He selected, therefore, a number of prayers, in 
praise of the blessed Virgin, and united them into a wreath. And 
this was the origin of the rosary, woven by pious hands for the 
veneration of Mary, the mystical rose. 

In the fifth century, St. Brigid urgently commended the devotion 
of the rosary, and she chose as its prayers the Our Father, the Hail 
Mary, and the Creed, and united them into a wreath of prayers. 
In order to count their recital she strung little beads of stone or 
wood and made a wreath of them. 

This custom subsequently spread through all Christian lands, and 
through the centuries, to our own days. That this devotion was 
always in great favor and esteem among pious Christians may be 


THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY 


9 


concluded from the fact that in the grave of St. Norbert, who died 
in 1134, a rosary similar to ours was found. 

We have proof, then, that the devotion of the rosary, such as we 
have it, was practised already in the early days of Christianity. 
And it was practised not only by monks and nuns, but found ad¬ 
herents among all the faithful. 

The particular manner in which we now pray the rosary was 
brought into vogue by St. Dominic. This is attested by the tradi¬ 
tion of six centuries. Twelve Popes bear witness to this fact. We 
will now speak of the introduction by St. Dominic, and will also 
refer to the great efficacy of this devotion since its inception. May 
our reflections contribute to the greater honor of God, and of the 
glorious Queen of the rosary. 

I. The devotion of the rosary in its present form dates its origin 
from the thirteenth century, and St. Dominic was selected by God 
as the instrument of its introduction. Spain was the home of this 
great saint. In one of the valleys of Castile there is situated an 
humble little village named Calarunga, where his parents possessed 
a small estate. He was born there in the year 1170. While being 
baptized his sponsor saw, as if in a vision, a brilliant star over the 
forehead of the future saint, shedding its brilliant light through the 
church. As Dominic advanced in years he increased in wisdom, 
virtue and piety. In due time he devoted himself to theology, be¬ 
lieving that in this pursuit alone he could find the wisdom of God. 
Not in the pleasures of this world, but in the knowledge of God, he 
sought his pastime. His favorite place was the church and the soli¬ 
tude of the sanctuary. Two incidents from his schooldays throw a 
light upon his character. At the time of a famine Dominic gave all 
that he possessed to the poor, even all but the necessary clothes, 
and when he had nothing more to give, he sold even his beloved books 


IO 


THE ROSARY 


and gave the proceeds to the poor. When berated by people for 
his excessive generosity, he said: “How could I dare indulge in 
these lifeless books, when human lives are in danger of starva¬ 
tion?” At another time St. Dominic met a woman who was weeping 
bitterly because she had no money with which she could release her 
brother, who had been imprisoned by the Saracens. Dominic 
offered to sell himself into bondage to release this brother; but since 
God had destined him to release sinful mankind from the bondage 
of sin, of error and unbelief, He did not permit Dominic to do as he 
offered. 

At the age of twenty-five he was appointed upon the chapter 
of the cathedral at Osma. Here he was conspicuous among his 
brethren on account of his humility, holiness, and zeal for prayer. 
He spent nine years in Osma, during which time divine Providence 
prepared him for his important and great vocation. This vocation 
became plain to him when, in the year 1204, he went to France and 
saw the terrible devastation which the prevailing heresies had 
wrought against the Church of Christ. The sight of this disaster 
nearly broke his heart. The poison of heresy had spread among 
the faithful with great rapidity, and principally in southern France. 
From the city of Albi the heretics had assumed the name Albigenses. 
These Albigenses discarded the doctrines of Christianity and con¬ 
structed new doctrines that played havoc with morality and 
social order. They were violent enemies of Church and State, and 
preached disobedience and rebellion against spiritual and temporal 
authority. An enemy of the Church is invariably also an enemy of 
the State; history and experience prove this. 

In southern France the Albigenses secured the support of Prince 
Raimond, of Toulouse, a wealthy and mighty, but, at the same time, 
a most godless and immoral prince of that time. He had several 


THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY 


11 

wives; associated with heretics, and even gave his children to be 
educated by them. This prince undertook the leadership of the 
heretical Albigenses, and with them, and other rabble by which 
France at that time was overrun, scoured the country, robbing and 
plundering wherever they went. This lawless band, under the di¬ 
rection of this godless prince, robbed churches of their treasures, 
murdered priests, even tore open the tabernacles and desecrated the 
most holy Sacrament. A messenger of Pope Innocent III was 
murdered by one of these knaves, who then found the protection of 
this depraved prince. Under these conditions the Pope finally saw 
the necessity of preaching a crusade against these heretics, who 
surpassed even the Saracens in the outrages committed. A terrible 
war then ensued, in which these enemies of Church and State were 
subdued, but not converted. For this there was necessary an ex¬ 
traordinary spiritual effort, and divine Providence had already pre¬ 
pared the instrument. St. Dominic was the tool in the hand of God 
to introduce and apply an efficacious remedy, and this remedy was 
the rosary. 

Dominic had for many years taught the doctrines of the Catholic 
Church to the heretics, and had converted a number of them, but 
not enough to satisfy his holy zeal. He often turned with humility 
to God and besought Him with tears, and deeds of penance, that 
Fie might let him know how to accomplish better results. Since 
childhood he had been a faithful servant of Mary, and had often 
said that the devotion to her was a powerful means of converting 
heretics and sinners. 

Finally his prayers were heard in a miraculous way. One day, 
while on his way from Toulouse, Dominic threw himself down on 
his knees and resolved not to cease praying until his prayers were 
heard. Then, so the legend tells us, the glorious Queen of heaven 


12 


THE ROSARY 


appeared to him, spoke words of encouragement, and taught him 
how to pray the rosary, assuring him that this would be the right 
weapon to conquer error and sin. With joy Dominic arose and re¬ 
turned to Toulouse, and began to spread the use of the rosary, as 
Mary had taught him and in the way we now recite it. He preached 
this devotion, explained it, and taught the people how to pray it. It 
proved indeed a most efficacious means for the conversion of apos¬ 
tates, heretics, and sinners. Since the lack of knowledge in matters 
of faith had been the real cause why heresy so quickly spread, the 
principal truths of faith and morals were now communicated to the 
people through the rosary, and the principles of a Christian life were 
taught them in this most sublime prayer of the Church. This was 
bound to bring results, and we will give now some thought to these 
results. 

II. According to the historians of those ages the effects of the 
rosary sermons of St. Dominic were truly wonderful. In all cities 
where he preached, the people gathered in great numbers to hear his 
heaven-inspired words and to pray the rosary with St. Dominic. 
Sinners were converted, the faithful were strengthened and forti¬ 
fied, and many thousands of those who had been led into heresy 
opened their hearts again to the true faith and returned to the holy 
Church. The inspired words of St. Dominic met with such splendid 
results that, even if the tradition did not tell us so, the miraculous 
effects of this devotion would prove its heavenly inspiration, and 
Pius IX, Leo XIII, as many Popes before them, have publicly 
avowed their belief that St. Dominic received the rosary from our 
blessed Mother. 

The promise which Dominic received was fulfilled. Where all 
other means had failed, the humble prayer of the rosary accom¬ 
plished the victory over heresy. Thus divine wisdom and infinite 


THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY 


13 


power make use of humble things to effect great achievements. Of 
this the great work of the redemption gives us an example. God 
made the Cross the instrument of the redemption. The despised 
Cross, once a shame and disgrace, was raised on the height of 
Calvary and became the instrument of the redemption for all the 
world, the fountain of grace, a blessing for time and eternity, the 
symbol of victory and glory. 

St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, writes: “And I, 
brethren, when I came to you, came not in loftiness of speech or of 
wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of Christ. For I judge 
not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and 
him crucified. And my speech and my preaching was not in the 
persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the showing of the 
spirit and power. That your faith might not stand on the wisdom 
of men, but on the power of God. But we preach Christ crucified, 
unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles 
foolishness: But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, 
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God; for the foolish¬ 
ness of God is wiser than men; but the foolish things of the world 
hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. That no flesh 
should glory in his sight” (I Cor. i and ii). And so did God choose 
the rosary, this humble prayer, to work such great things, that 
human effort had not been able to accomplish. What an incentive to 
put all our trust in God, rather than in our own strength! 

The devotion of the rosary soon spread from southern France to 
all other Catholic lands, and all peoples welcomed it with joy and 
prayed it with great zeal. Rosary societies were formed and ap¬ 
proved of by the Popes, and were richly endowed with many in¬ 
dulgences. Ever since there has been no other prayer practised so 
diligently as the rosary. And often there have been recorded miracu- 


H 


THE ROSARY 


lous effects of this devotion, no less miraculous than the conversion 
of the heretics in the south of France. 

The devotion as now practised is therefore in use over seven 
hundred years. The wonderful origin, its great age and the re¬ 
markable miracles that were wrought by its use at all times, bestow 
a great dignity on this devotion. 

When we consider the conditions that prevailed at the time of 
the origin of the rosary, and for the betterment of which divine 
Providence provided this devotion, we can not fail to realize a 

similarity of conditions in our own times. Materialism and un¬ 
belief, connected with widespread immorality, are now prevalent 

as they were then. They are causing great injury to Church, State, 
and homes, and will become more destructive if not checked by the 
right weapon. Pope Pius IX, as also Pope Leo XIII, have declared 
the rosary to be that weapon, and have exhorted Christianity to re¬ 
sort to the zealous use of it. If all Christians would follow the ad¬ 
vice of these supreme Pontiffs, we should soon see the Catholic 
faith and good morals come into their own again, and ample bless¬ 
ing would, through this devotion, be bestowed upon private and 
public life. All the insistent endeavors of world-wise scholars and 
reformers will be of no avail if God’s blessing does not rest upon 
their work. Only then, when the true faith and a life of faith are 
made the standard of public and private merit and ethics, will the 
temporal, no less than the eternal, welfare of nations and of indi¬ 
viduals be assured. 

Let us, through the rosary, call to Mary for her powerful inter¬ 
cession in the battle of the Church against the enemies of faith and 
morals, and with her intercession we shall be sure of victory. Amen. 


THE POWER OF THE ROSARY 


15 


III. THE POWER OF THE ROSARY 

“Lo, here is the sword of Goliath. . . . There is none like that, give 
it 106.” —I Kings xxi, 9. 

SYNOPSIS. — David, ivith God’s assistance, his only weapon a pebble, slew 
the giant. God gives us, as our weapon, the rosary. This has 
proven efficacious in the battles of the Church against heretics and 
heathen armies. Examples: Albigenses; Turks at Lepanto and Bel¬ 
grade; many epidemics abated or averted by the power of the rosary. 
This devotion is just as powerful for the individual and for the family. 

God has shown us that He wishes many to co-operate with the 
Church and with the Christian in their fight for faith and salvation. 
Let all use this weapon. 

My dear brethren, in the first book of Kings we read how the 
Philistines went forth to battle against the Israelites. The Philis¬ 
tines arrayed their forces on a mountain, and the Israelites occu¬ 
pied a mountain on the opposite side, so that the valley was between 
them. Then there went out from the hordes of the Philistines a 
man named Goliath, a giant of enormous strength, who challenged 
the Israelites to let one of their men fight him hand to hand, the 
result of this contest to decide the victory or defeat of either army. 
A youth named David, inspired and urged by the spirit of God, 
went forth with a few smooth stones and a sling to meet this Philis¬ 
tine, and as Goliath rushed toward him David cast the stones with 
the sling and struck the Philistine in the forehead, and he fell upon 
his face to the earth. David then ran and stood over the Philistine 
and took his sword and slew him. Israel thus gained the victory 
over the Philistines. But when for this victory exceeding praise 
was given to David, King Saul became angry and sought the life 
of the youthful hero. In his flight David came to Nobe. Not 


i6 


THE ROSARY 


having any weapon, he said to the high priest Achimelech: “Hast 
thou here at hand a spear or a sword ?” The high priest answered: 
“Lo, here is the sword of Goliath, whom thou slewest in the valley 
of Terebinth, if thou wilt take this, for there is no other but this.” 
And David said, “There is none like that, give it me.” 

These last words, which I have made the text for my address 
to-day, we may fitly apply to the holy rosary. For the rosary has 
ever since its origin proven itself a conquering weapon for the 
Church, as also well as for the individual Clydstian, against the 
most powerful enemies of God and of His Church. Let us con¬ 
sider the fact for the greater glory of God and of the Queen of the 
rosary. 

Since the introduction of the rosary by St. Dominic, for more 
than six hundred years therefore, the great victories of Christianity 
against the many and ferocious enemies of the Church are ascribed 
to the devotion of the rosary. The Church has at all times had 
enemies, who with all their power and in all their evil ways have 
opposed and persecuted her. Nor is this surprising. Ever since 
Satan succeeded in beguiling our first parents into sin, he has 
continued to sow dissention among mankind. Beginning with Cain 
and Abel, there have been children of God who obeyed God’s com¬ 
mandments, and, on the other hand, children of Satan, as holy 
Scripture calls them, who seek their salvation in the pleasures of 
this life. Since the time of Cain and Abel, mankind has been split 
into two divisions, one seeking the kingdom of God, the other the 
kingdom of the world, the kingdom of Satan. 

When our Saviour conquered Satan He left him power over 
those who make themselves slaves to the sensual pleasures, and 
thus there exists an evil force against the Church, and it will exist 
to the end of time. This is a fact that we must keep in view in 


THE POWER OF THE ROSARY 


17 


order to fully understand and judge the conditions. The realm 
of darkness, Satan’s realm, stands opposed to the realm of Christ. 
Satan and his adherents carry on the warfare against the Church of 
Christ, as they assaulted Christ Himself. “As they have persecuted 
me, they will also persecute you,” so did Christ prophecy. 

The Church of Christ demands the subjection of the flesh; she 
preaches against luxury, pride and selfishness. She preaches chastity 
and submission to the commandments of God; she preaches penance 
alike to those of high and low station in life. This angers all those 
who would indulge in the evil things of this world. They cry: 
“Let us break her bonds asunder; and let us cast away her yoke 
from us.” But as Christ foretold the persecution of His Church, 
so He also foretold that the gates of hell would not prevail against 
her. The Church of God will in due time conquer all her enemies, 
some will be converted, while others who are obstinate will perish 
in the battle. In all these battles and victories of the Church, Mary, 
blessed mother of her divine Founder, co-operates with the Church 
through her intercession. Mary was already spoken of in paradise 
as the one who would come to tread upon the head of the serpent, 
the spirit of darkness. This she has done by becoming the mother 
of God, by bringing forth the Redeemer. And as Jesus through 
Mary’s co-operation came into this world, so He desires her co¬ 
operation in ruling the world. The history of the contests and 
victories of the Church verify this throughout the centuries. 

The evil spirit has a twofold weapon with which he assails and 
combats God’s Church; namely, the godless rulers of the world and 
heresy. Through the godless authorities of the world Satan has 
endeavored since the beginning to crush the Church; through 
heresy he attempts to destroy the Church by internal dissension. 
Both weapons are used together, for heresy and calumny can not 


i8 


THE ROSARY 


prevail without substantial support, and heretics seek worldly power 
and assistance. On every page of Church history we find recorded 
the clashes planned by these evil forces, from which the Church 
always came out not conquered, but a conqueror. 

The history of the veneration of Mary tells us that the Blessed 
Virgin Mary helped to win these victories. During the early times, 
when fierce battles against the Church were raging, bishops and 
priests knew of no more efficacious means to avert these dangers 
than to exhort the faithful to pray to the Blessed Virgin. Thus 
we read in history that the holy bishops and martyrs Ignatius and 
Irenaeus did this in the second century, and in the third century it 
was Pope Calixtus who advised the faithful to take refuge with 
the Blessed Virgin in time of persecution of the Church. And so 
on through all Christian times. 

Since the introduction of the rosary by St. Dominic all great 
victories have been credited to the devotion of the rosary. The 
first great conquest of the Church effected by the rosary was the 
victory over the Albigenses, who had spread heresy in southern 
France and had caused great havoc in Church and State. 

St. Bernard complained in those times: “The churches are empty, 
the people without priests, the Sacraments without reverence. * Peo¬ 
ple on their deathbed refuse the assistance of the Church, ridicule 
penance.” 

How the weapon with which this heresy was conquered was the 
rosary we have related in a previous sermon. This was the first 
glorious victory through the devotion of the rosary. It was 
the sword with which the Church slew the proud Goliath of heresy. 

Another wonderful victory through this miraculous weapon of 
Christianity was the defeat of the Turkish navy at Lepanto, on 
October 7, 1571. The so-called reformation, of which Martin 


THE POWER OF THE ROSARY 


*9 


Luther was the originator, had spread over the whole of Europe, 
bringing in its trail destruction, dissension and war. The Turks, 
who had long thirsted for vengeance upon the Christians, found 
conditions favorable for their plans. They gathered all their 
forces to assail the Christian lands. The princes of Europe were 
either indifferent, or were besieged with difficulties in their own 
lands, and Luther even said he preferred the Turks to the papacy. 
Pope Pius V alone realized the great danger that threatened Chris¬ 
tianity, and he called upon the Christian people to defend country 
and Church against the common enemy. 

The Christian forces which could be assembled were very small 
compared with those of the Turks. Nevertheless Pius V knew of 
another power which he realized would be a mighty ally. With all 
his energy he exhorted his people to implore the Blessed Virgin 
and glorious Queen of heaven, through the rosary, to come to the 
assistance of the Christian army. It was, as Leo XIII said in his 
commendation of the rosary, an ennobling sight, which drew the 
eyes of the whole world; on one side, not far from the Corinthian 
Sea, the Christians prepared to sacrifice life for religion and coun¬ 
try ; while gathered on the other side, imploring through the rosary 
Mary’s assistance for the fighting Christians, were many Christians 
unable to take up arms. 

The small army of Christians attacking the great force of the 
Turkish fleet was an undertaking similar to the assault of David 
upon the giant Goliath. On October 7, 1571, the deciding battle 
was fought, in the Bay of Lepanto. The battle raged from six 
o’clock in the morning until six o’clock at night. It was one of the 
most terrific battles ever fought. And, lo! in the evening, toward 
six o’clock, the battle ended in the victory of the Christians over 
their powerful enemy. This wonderful victory of the Christians 


20 


THE ROSARY 


was undoubtedly due to the assistance of the Blessed Virgin. Pope 
Pius V so declared, and in memory of this wonderful achievement 
he added to the litany of the Blessed Virgin the supplication: “Help 
of Christians, pray for us!” He also ordained that the anniversary 
of this victory be celebrated as the feast of “Our Lady of Victory/’ 
which Gregory XIII subsequently styled the “Feast of the Rosary.” 

In the annals of the Church there is another great victory 
over the Turks recorded which once more demonstrated the power 
of the rosary. It was the great victory in the campaign against 
the Turks at the beginning of the eighteenth century. 

After the Turks had been defeated at sea, they endeavored to 
conquer on land. They forced their way to Hungary, and had 
taken possession of eight provinces, when Emperor Charles VII 
sent an army against them under the command of Prince Eugene. 
This army was composed of only seventy thousand men. With 
this meager force Prince Eugene defeated two hundred thousand 
Turks and laid siege to Belgrade, their stronghold. 

Prince Eugene, before engaging the enemy, implored the help of 
the Blessed Virgin, through the rosary, and then with confidence in 
God’s assistance went to battle and to glorious victory. Thirty thou¬ 
sand Turks were slain on the battlefield; the others fled. The 
rosary again had won the victory, and on the feast day of the 
Blessed Virgin. 

In the same manner as the rosary was a successful weapon 
against heretics and other enemies of the Church, it has demon¬ 
strated its wonderful efficiency in individual cases of stress, and 
of such I will mention a few instances. In the year 1578 a fearful 
epidemic devastated the city of Pavia. The terrified people made 
a public vow to build a chapel to our Blessed Lady of the Rosary 
if the epidemic would cease. And the very day the vow was made 


THE POWER OF THE ROSARY 


21 


the epidemic did abate. A similar case happened in Cologne, where 
people were saved from an epidemic after such a vow had been 
made. That cases like these are innumerable is manifested by the 
many chapels built as a result of such vows, and by the votive tablets 
in pilgrimage churches dedicated to Mary. Sight is restored to the 
blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, the use of their 
limbs to the crippled, diseases of all kind are cured, by invoking 
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin by means of the devotion of 
the rosary. 

The conversion of a hardened sinner is, after all, a greater miracle 
than all cures of disease. And such conversions to this day are 
as numerous as they were at the time the rosary was introduced. 
Entire nations, provinces and cities have been converted to God 
through his devotion. Blessed John, a companion of St. Dominic, 
wrote a book about the miraculous power of the rosary. The 
blessed Alanus de la Roche tells of a bishop, in whose diocese 
morality was decadent, who finally took up the devotion to the 
rosary, explained it to his people, prayed it with them, and had 
it introduced in all parishes. Soon the people abandoned their 
evil ways. 

St. Clement Hofbauer assures us: “When I am called to a sick 
man of whom I know that he is averse to making his peace with 
God, on the way I pray my rosary, and when I reach him I am 
sure to find him desirous to receive the Sacraments.” 

The holy doctor Alphonsus of Liguori relates from his experi¬ 
ence: “The walls of Jericho did not collapse more quickly at the 
trumpet call of Josue than 'false teachings disappear after the 
earnest praying of the rosary. The swimming pool of Jerusalem 
was not as healing for the bodily sick as the rosary is as remedy 
for the spiritually diseased.” 


22 


THE ROSARY 


These few examples, to which I could add hundreds of other 
similar instances, prove the miraculous efficacy of the rosary. Oh, 
that all Christians would grasp this weapon to attack and conquer 
all enemies of Church and soul! 

Great dangers threaten the spiritual weal of the individual, family 
and community. Let us, then, arise and grasp the mighty sword 
which is like to none, the holy rosary, and let us attack with it the 
Goliath of our times, corruption and godlessness. As David cour¬ 
ageously met the enemy of Israel with the humble sling in his hand 
and conquered because God was with him, so let us face the enemies 
of Christendom and of our salvation, with the humble wreath of the 
rosary in our hands, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin will 
secure for us God’s grace and assistance, and with God to fight our 
battles, who will do us harm? Amen! 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


2 3 


IV. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 

(a) The Sign of the Cross 

“The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains.”—Ps. lxxxvi, I. 

Dear brethren, we have seen in our previous discourses upon the 
rosary how for more than six centuries the rosary has proved itself 
a great, indeed a marvelous, power and help in times of stress. 
This, of course, was apparent from its very origin. It was a special 
instrument of divine Providence in troublous times of Church and 
society. The various parts of the rosary are admirably adapted to 
exercise such great power and efficacy. The Our Father, the Hail 
Mary, the Creed, the Glory be to the Father, and the Sign of the 
Cross, which are said in reciting the rosary, are the most beautiful, 
the holiest and most excellent of prayers, and for this reason also 
the most potent and efficacious. The mysteries of our holy faith, 
which are at the same time meditated upon, embrace the entire work 
of our redemption, in its work (joyful mysteries), it's accomplish¬ 
ment (sorrowful mysteries), and in its fruits (glorious mysteries). 
Meditation combined with prayer as it is contained in the rosary 
renders it a perfect prayer. The rosary furthermore is the best 
means of honoring Mary, and therefore it is the best means for 
obtaining Mary’s powerful intercession. 

That we may understand and perceive the whole beauty and 
excellence of the rosary let us closely view its component parts, and 
we will begin to-day by considering the opening of the rosary, 
namely the sign of the Cross. This has a most sublime meaning, 


24 


THE ROSARY 


and has of itself great power and efficacy. It is a sign of honor, 
of blessing and of power. In this threefold aspect let us consider 
it to-day. 

I. The sign of the Cross is, first of all, a mark of honor. It 
reminds us of the holy Trinity and of our relation to the triune 
God. The Father has created us, the Son redeemed us, and the 
Holy Ghost has sanctified us. God the Father created us after His 
own image, and therefore we bear a resemblance to God- in our 
souls. Our soul is a spirit, as God is a spirit. It has understanding 
and free will; it can be holy; it can become perfect, since our heav¬ 
enly Father is perfect. Our soul is immortal, as God is immortal, 
and it is destined to partake in heaven of divine glory and happiness. 
Is there not in this resemblance and likeness to God an unspeakably 
high dignity and glory for man? We are reminded of this by the 
sign of the Cross. The Son of God redeemed us through the Cross. 
After sin had reduced the human race to a state of ignominious 
bondage the Son of God, moved by infinite love, became incarnate 
for us, in order to make satisfaction for our sins and to. remove 
from us their awful consequences. From slaves of sin and of the 
devil, He has made us just and children of God. Having been 
redeemed, we now call God our Father; and Jesus, the Son of the 
eternal Father, calls us His brethren. Of all this we are reminded 
by the Cross, for we were redeemed through the Cross, and became 
children of God and heirs of heaven. Thus the Cross is the glorious 
sign of our redemption. The Holy Ghost sanctifies us by dwelling 
in us and making of us His temples. What an honor for us! The 
sign of the Cross reminds us of this honor. 

In truth is therefore this sign a mark of the highest honor, and 
the Christian’s greatest glory. In this sense the Apostle wrote to the 
Galatians: “But God forbid that I should glory, but in the Cross 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


2 5 


of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. vi, 14). This means, according to 
Saint Chrysostom: “I glory only in the Cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, namely, in the faith, in grateful remembrance and con¬ 
templation of the benefactions of the Cross, through which we 
were redeemed and have received the grace to lead a devout 1 life 
and to strive for eternal happiness. In the Cross we recognize 
thoroughly the enormity of our guilt and the boundless love of 
God.” 

With what love and devotion should we, then, make the sign of 
the Cross! As often as we sign ourselves with the Cross we profess 
our belief in the holy Trinity, and in the merciful and blessed work 
of the redemption, and express our gratitude to the holy Trinity, 
Father, Son and Holy Ghost. It is hard to believe that there are 
Christians who are ashamed to make the sign of the Cross; and yet' 
there are many such nowadays. Some act so from motives of 
cowardly human respect; others because their faith is dead. But to 
be ashamed of the Cross means a denial of our faith. At all times 
the sign of the Cross has served as a public and solemn profession 
of the Christian faith. Thus did in the days of persecution the faith¬ 
ful profess their belief in Christ, and seal their profession with 
their blood, as the acts of the martyrs record. When the holy Bishop 
Poly carp was brought before the heathen judge, who said to him. 
“Deny Christ and you will be free!” Polycarp’s reply was worthy of 
a true Christian. “It is now over sixty years that I have served 
Him, and He never did me any harm. How, then, can I deny my 
beloved Master, King and Saviour?” So speaks the true Christian 
when an attempt is made to make him deny his God and Redeemer. 
The sign of the Cross also serves as a mark of distinction from 
those sects, which centuries ago separated themselves from the 
mother Church and abandoned the beautiful custom of making the 


26 


THE ROSARY 


sign of the Cross. It is a great crime, then, to be ashamed of a sign 
which serves for our honor and distinction. And Jesus Christ says, 
“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him 
shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his 
majesty, and of his father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke ix, 26). 
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him 
before my Father, who is in heaven” (Matt, x, 33). Thus does 
Jesus Christ express Himself concerning those who are ashamed of 
the glorious sign of the true Christian, and those who reject this 
sign with contempt. 

II. The Cross is, furthermore, a sign of blessing. It reminds 
us, in the first place, as we have considered, of the source of all 
blessing, of all gifts and graces for body and soul. This source is 
the blessed Trinity. As often as we make the sign of the Cross we 
invoke the blessings of God upon us, for we owe all blessings to the 
infinite merits of our divine Saviour, who died upon the Cross for 
us. The ignominious instrument of torture and death, the Cross, 
has now become the instrument of life and the source of salvation. 
Hence the Church never dispenses blessing except in the sign of 
the Cross. St. Chrysostom says therefore: “Every blessing in which 
we participate is accomplished through the sign of the Cross. When 
regeneration (Baptism) takes place, the sign of the Cross is em¬ 
ployed. Whether we partake of that holy mysterious food or re¬ 
ceive any other of the Sacraments, it is always under the sign of 
our victory, the sign of the Cross. We should, therefore, earnestly 
endeavor to have this sign in our homes, and often sign our fore¬ 
heads with it; for it is the commemoration of our salvation and of 
our redemption. In making the sign of the Cross devoutly we say to 
God: Heavenly Father, behold not our sins which render us un¬ 
worthy of thy grace, but the Cross of thy beloved Son, with which 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


27 


we sign our foreheads, which we profess with our lips and carry de¬ 
voutly in our hearts. For the sake of Jesus’ bitter death upon the 
Cross be merciful to us and grant us the assistance of thy grace in 
all our words and actions! This is the prayer which is contained in 
the sign of the Cross. That such prayer will not remain unheard is 
attested by numerous manifestations of grace which have been 
obtained through this sign, and the countless miracles which at all 
times have been performed through the same. 

III. Finally, the Cross is a sign of power. Because Jesus upon 
the Cross conquered the arch enemy, redeemed mankind and 
merited for us all blessings and graces, there lies in the sign of 
the Cross a miraculous strength and efficacy. Jesus himself has 
said: ‘‘Everything that you ask the Father in my name, he will 
give you.” The sign of the Cross calls for help and grace through 
the Blood of Christ shed upon the Cross. Would God deny such 
prayer? The sign of the Cross is a particularly powerful weapon 
against the malicious and cunning assaults of the devil. Of this 
St. Chrysostom says: “When in the fulness of faith you make the 
sign of the Cross upon your forehead no impure spirit will be able 
to tarry near you; for he beholds the sword that has given him the 
death blow.” “Write the sign of the Cross upon thy brow,” says 
St. Cyril, “so that the devils when they see the sign of the king may 
tremble and take flight'.” St Augustine tells us that our mere re¬ 
membrance of the Cross puts the devil to flight, strengthens us 
against his assaults, and preserves us from his snares. The sign 
of the Cross provides us with a powerful weapon, wherewith we 
may conquer the unseen foe in every attack. 

We know, too, from the testimony of Holy Writ, that the evil 
spirit can injure mankind not only in body and soul but also in 
earthly possessions. Thus the devil, by God’s permission, slew Job’s 


28 


THE ROSARY 


children, deprived him of his possessions and afflicted him with pain¬ 
ful and loathsome maladies. Now, though Christ by His death has 
broken Satan’s power, yet He has not completely removed it. For 
this reason the Church makes the sign of the Cross over people, 
blesses food and drink, dwellings, water, soil, in brief everything 
that Christians come in contact with. This she d s in order to 
withdraw all these things from the injurious influence of the evil 
spirit, to unite them with the divine blessing and thus make them 
salutary. The grace before meals of Christians has the same pur¬ 
pose. It is indeed a sad token of ignorance, of indifference, or lack 
of faith, when in Christian homes grace before meals is disregarded, 
as not infrequently happens in our days. We know from the 
testimony of history that the sign of the Cross was also employed 
successfully .against bodily evils. When St. Benedict was handed 
a glass of poisoned wine, the saint made the sign of the Cross over 
it, and behold the glass broke in his hand, and he was saved from 
death. St. Gregory of Nissa testifies that his sister during an illness 
desired her mother to make the sign of the Cross over her-; and when 
it was done the illness left her. Through the sign of the Cross 
Bishop Fortunatus restored the sight to a blind man; St. Lawrence 
cured several others similarly affected. St. Roch cured the plague 
stricken, and the legend says that St. Corbinian brought the dead 
back to life by this same sign. The lives of the saints are replete 
with examples that testify to the miraculous power of the sign of 
the Cross. 

Because the Cross is then a sign of honor, of blessing and power, 
because it is an effective remedy against evils of body and soul, 
the Church has always exhorted the faithful by word and example 
to make zealous use of the same at all times. Since the time of the 
Apostles the sign of the Cross has been made by the faithful in all 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


29 


their undertakings. Through this sign they dedicated their work 
to God and invoke the divine blessing upon it. 

The Fathers teach that this custom originated with the Apostles; 
it is related even by a pious legend that Christ Himself at His ascen¬ 
sion into heaven blessed the Apostles with this sign. How uni¬ 
versal this custom was among Christians of the early centuries may 
be learned from the words of St. Chrysostom: “We find every¬ 
where the sign of the Cross, it is used by princes and subjects, by 
women and men, by the slaves and the free. They all sign them¬ 
selves with it by making it over their foreheads.” 

Let us then imitate the pious Christians of those days when faith 
was more lively and robust, and let us never be ashamed of this sign 
of honor! What would you think of a soldier ashamed of his 
colors? Let us not be ashamed of this sign, lest Jesus be ashamed 
of us, when He comes in power and majesty, with the Cross shining 
before Him like the sun. Let us not deprive ourselves of the mani¬ 
fold blessings of this sign, either through fear of our fellowmen or 
indifference. Let us make abundant use of this sign of power, so 
that we may participate in the blessing and protection that comes 

from the Cross, most especially when assailed by the enemies of our 

♦ 

salvation. This sign of the Cross should be placed upon the fore¬ 
head, lips and breast, before our prayers, for by this our thoughts, 
our words, and the emotions of our heart are consecrated and be¬ 
come more pleasing to God. This is the purpose of beginning the 
prayer of the rosary with the sign of the Cross. But, remember, 
it is not enough to make the sign merely with the fingers, our spirit 
must take part in making it, and it should be made with reverence, 
devotion, with a lively faith and firm confidence in the merits of 
Jesus Christ. Christians who make this sign thoughtlessly and with¬ 
out devotion deprive themselves of the great blessings of this holy 


3 ° 


THE ROSARY 


sign. We, however, who have just contemplated this glorious token 
of salvation will use it with the greatest zeal and piety, and profess 
with it our faith in the blessed Trinity and in our holy mother 
Church. Amen. 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


3 1 


V. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS FARTS OF THE ROSARY 

(b) The Apostles' Creed. 

“For with the heart, we believe unto justice: but, with the mouth, con¬ 
fession is made unto salvation’’ (Rom. x, io). 

Dear Brethren: At the beginning of the Rosary, the Apostles' 
Creed is recited. Everything that we must believe, in order to 
attain to eternal life, is contained in this Creed. It puts in explicit 
words all that of which the sign of the Cross is the symbol. Tra¬ 
dition tells us that this profession of faith originated with the 
Apostles, and for this reason it is called the Apostles’ Creed. To 
be sure not all the dogmas of the Catholic Church are declared in 
the twelve articles of the Creed, but any dogmas not expressly 
mentioned are included in the ninth article, which says: “I believe 
in the Holy Catholic Church.” In these words the Catholic declares 
that he believes everything which the holy infallible Catholic Church 
teaches and requires of us to believe. 

The Creed is, therefore, by its origin, as well as its contents, a 
truly holy and excellent prayer. It we duly appreciate this beauti¬ 
ful prayer we shall say it with more devotion, to the greater glory 
of God, and our own good. 

I. “I believe in God.” With these words I express my firm con¬ 
viction that there is a God, and that everything that God has re¬ 
vealed is infallible truth, because God is truth itself and can neither 
deceive nor be deceived. With these words I submit my mind, my 
reason and my will to the infallible authority of God. 

“I believe in God the Father.” This means that I believe that in 
God there are three Persons, of whom the first Person is called the 


3 2 


THE ROSARY 


Father because He is the origin of all existence; because from all 
eternity He begot the Son, who is equal to Him in essence but dif¬ 
ferent in Person. Further, He is our Father because He created us 
His children. 

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty.” It is befitting that at 
the beginning of the Creed the omnipotence of God should be em¬ 
phasized. Our faith contains many mysteries, which no created 
understanding can comprehend. Because I firmly believe in the 
omnipotence of God I profess that to God nothing is impossible. 

In His omnipotence, God, the Father, created the world, calling 
it into existence from nothing. Hence we say: “I believe in God, 
the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.” But God 
not only created the world, He also preserves and rules it through 
His omnipotence. As by virtue of His will He created the world, 
so does God cause it to continue in existence. A building erected 
by a master hand remains standing even though the master absent 
himself; yet the world, according to St. Augustine, could not con¬ 
tinue to exist for one moment did not God preserve it. This world 
which God called forth from nothing would, the very moment that 
God should withdraw His almighty hand, fall back into nothing. 
“And how could anything endure if thou wouldst not?” Thus we 
read of God in the Book of Wisdom (ii, 26). Since we are then 
so utterly dependent upon God that at any moment He could cut 
the thread of our lives, how greatly should we fear to offend Him? 

God not only preserves, but also rules the world; He is solicitous 
for all things; He orders and governs all things with wisdom and 
mercy to the end for which He created them. “The eyes of all 
hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season. 
Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living crea¬ 
ture” (Ps. cxliv, 15-16). Of what little value is a flower which so 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


33 


soon withers ? And yet the divine solicitude extends to this humble 
flower. Indeed, is not the flower of the field clothed more beauti¬ 
fully by the hand of God,than was Solomon in all his glory? What is 
there about a man of less account than a single hair of his head? 
And yet each of these hairs is counted, and not one falls from the 
head without the knowledge and will of God. We see how the care 
and providence of God extends to all things, even the most insig¬ 
nificant. 

God, furthermore, orders and governs all things according to 
their appointed end. He created the world and all that is in it for 
His glorification and for the welfare of mankind, and provides in 
all things that this end may be attained. Nothing can withdraw 
itself from the rule of God. There is no blind chance, no blind 
fortune. The prophet Jeremias asks: “Who is he that hath com¬ 
manded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?” 
(Lam. iii, 37). “Thy providence, O Father, ruleth all things,” so 
we read in the Book of Wisdom. And so God orders and disposes 
everything in our lives, that we may attain the eternal goal. We 
have but to commit ourselves to divine Providence and place our 
trust in God. For this reason we should exclaim with David: “The 
Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. For though I should 
walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for 
thou art with me” (Ps. xxii). 

In the first article we profess our faith, therefore, in the om¬ 
nipotence of God, divine Providence, and all the divine attributes. 
God has created us and preserves us. But He has done still 
greater things for us. Is this possible? Yes, for God so loved 
the world that He sacrificed His only begotten Son for it. And this 
brings us to the second article, which comprises the truths we must 
believe of God the Son. 


34 


THE ROSARY 


II. When the sin of our first parents had deprived us of the 
friendship of God as well as of our heirship to Heaven, there came 
to our rescue the second Person of the Godhead, the only begotten 
of the Father. The succeeding articles tell us of the love and sac¬ 
rifice of the Son of God for our race. 

The second article is: “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our 
Lord.” What does this mean? It means I believe that He is the 
Son of God, God of God, true God of true God. It means I believe 
that He became incarnate for the sake of our salvation. It means I 
believe in the doctrines that He proclaimed, in the miracles that He 
performed. It means I believe in His presence in the holy Euchar¬ 
ist; in the effects of the holy Sacraments which He instituted. It 
means I believe in- His holy Church, to which He transmitted His 
authority. To believe in Jesus Christ means, furthermore, to be¬ 
lieve in His Passion and death, by which He redeemed the world; 
in His glorious resurrection and ascension. He is the Divine 
Master, and as such the supreme Lawgiver whom all creatures 
must obey. He is also the Judge of the universe, and as such will 
come again one day to preside at the general judgment, when He 
will judge all men according to their belief, according to the man¬ 
ner in which each one has observed or transgressed His command¬ 
ments, used or neglected the means of salvation. Then will be the 
end of time; and mankind will go to its reward or to its punishment 
once and for all. All this is proclaimed in the articles of faith that 
treat of Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus Christ means to believe 
everything that the Gospel teaches and everything which the holy, 
infallible Church requires us to believe. 

The third chief part of the Creed declares what we must believe 
of the Holy Ghost, the third Person of the Godhead. 

III. The Holy Ghost, the third Person of the Godhead, proceeds 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 35 

equally from the Father and the Son, from all eternity, and is of 
equal essence with the Father and the Son from eternity. 

The Holy Ghost, sent by the Father and the Son, came down 
upon earth and took charge of the Church founded by Christ, in 
order to apply through it the fruits of redemption to mankind. 

Only in the true Church of Christ can be found the fruits of the 
redemption; only in her is the true priesthood of the Lord. The 
fruits of the redemption here on earth are truth and grace, and in 
the hereafter eternal salvation. The divine truth, as proclaimed by 
Christ, is alone contained in the holy Catholic Church; and through 
the co-operation of the Holy Ghost it is preserved uncorrupted in 
this Church. The Church is the pillar and the beacon of the truth. 
She can not deviate unto the end of the world one tittle from the 
doctrine received from Christ, because the Holy Ghost guides the 
teaching Church in all truth, and sees to it that every truth is under¬ 
stood rightly by her and properly interpreted and explained. Hence, 
to submit ourselves to the Church’s definition of the faith means to 
submit ourselves to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost operates in 
the Church, through the priesthood, and thus applies to the faithful 
the fruits of the redemption, so as to sanctify them and prepare 
them for eternal happiness. Thus it is the Holy Ghost who sancti¬ 
fies us, who makes us holy, as our Father in heaven is holy; who 
leads us to perfection, as our Father in heaven is perfect. 

“I believe in the Holy Catholic Church,” is the next article of 
our Creed. The Holy Ghost lives and operates in the Church. This 
Church is a “Communion of Saints,” a communion of faithful, 
part of whom have already entered eternal life of bliss, and is 
called the Church Triumphant; another part is being cleansed from 
the remnants of sin in the place of purification, and is called the 
Suffering Church; a third part is still struggling on the battlefield 


3 6 


THE ROSARY 


of the world for the crown of eternal life, and is called the Church 
Militant. All are true members of this great community of saints 
and children of God, allied through the bond of love. This doc¬ 
trine is very consoling to us. It opens to us, as it were, even during 
our earthly life, the portals of eternity. We may enter these in 
spirit, and seek and find help and consolation amongst our glorified 
brethren, and also carry help and consolation to our suffering 
brethren. One thing alone bars us from this glorious communion 
and shuts heaven against us, and that is sin. But in the Church 
there is provided for repentant sinners the Absolution from Sins, 
the remission of sin and its penalty. When we finally die in the 
grace of God our soul shall enjoy eternal life, and our glorified 
body shall be joined to it on the great day of resurrection. 

This, then, is what we are taught to believe in the Apostles' 
Creed. When we say this Creed with devotion and perfect faith, 
we honor and glorify first of all the Blessed Trinity. But we refresh 
also the teaching of the Gospel in our minds, and thus strengthen 
our faith. It is an excellent means of awakening exalted sentiments 
of faith within us, and of inspiring us to a courageous profession 
of our holy religion. 

The Creed is possessed of great power against the temptations 
of the evil one. The Apostle exhorts us “to resist the devil strong 
in faith” (I Pet. v, 8), and Holy Scripture calls the faith a shield 
against which the darts of Satan are broken. Thus is the Creed, ac¬ 
cording to its origin, and its contents, and efficacy, a holy and ex¬ 
cellent prayer. In conclusion, let me quote an exhortation from St. 
Augustine: “Forget not,” he says, “to recite the profession of your 
faith when you rise in the morning, nor when retiring at night; 
•repeat it frequently, for its repetition is salutary for you, that no 
forgetfulness may arise. Your creed should be your mirror. Ex- 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 37 


amine yourself therein as to whether you firmly believe everything 
that you profess to believe, and rejoice daily in the possession of 
your faith.” Well, then, let us bear in mind this beautiful advice. 
Let us say the Creed daily, in order to strengthen ourselves in the 
faith, but especially let us say it with great devotion as part of the 
holy Rosary. If here below we are true to the faith we shall one 
day behold in reality what we now see only with the eyes of faith, 
and in this vision enjoy eternal glory and bliss without end. Amen. 


33 


THE ROSARY 


VI. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 

( c ) The Glory he to the Father 

“Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, and honor, and 
power: because thou hast created all things.”—Apoc. iv, n. 

Dear Brethren, we know that the “Glory be to the Father” occurs 
very frequently in the prayers of the Church and in our private de¬ 
votions. In the Rosary it is repeated with every decade. This 
prayer of praise is of great significance for the Christian life. In 
order to understand its meaning better we must join in spirit the 
choirs of the blessed before the throne of God. Isaias, the great 
prophet of the Old Testament, to whom was vouchsafed a profound 
insight into the mysteries of God, had a vision of heaven, and he 
says, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated, and 
his train filled the temple; upon it stood the seraphims: . . . 

and they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the 
Lord God of hosts; all the earth is full of his glory” (Is. vi, i). 
So also did John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, have the grace to see 
heaven, and he saw the angels of heaven, and with them the whole 
army of the saints and all the nations, tribes and peoples, standing 
before the throne in sight of the Lamb, and with a loud voice they 
praised God, who sat upon the throne, and the Lamb, who is the 
Lamb of God (Apoc. vii, n). 

Thus God has made known to us, through both these prophets, in 
what the unceasing occupation of the blessed in heaven consists. 
They behold the magnificent beauty of God and praise Him on 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 39 

account of His majesty, power and love, and this occupation of the 
dwellers in heaven should also be the task of the dwellers upon 
earth. It is indeed the duty of mankind, and an indispensable obli¬ 
gation. King David acknowledged this when he said: “I will bless 
the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth’’ (Ps. 
xxxiii). 

Therefore, our whole life and endeavor should be one uninter¬ 
rupted “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost/' 

We will make this obligation the subject of our consideration. 

I. The happy inhabitants of heaven as they behold God in His 
indescribable splendor extol Him with hymns of praise. To know 
God and to serve Him, to glorify Him, this is the supreme end of 
man, not only when he is admitted to heaven, but even here on 
earth. God himself tells us this through the Prophet Isaias. “In 
order,” thus He speaks, “that man should glorify me, therefore 
have I created him and brought him forth from nothing.” 

We mortals as yet can not behold God as the blessed do in 
heaven; but we do behold Him in His works, and know Him from 
His revelation given us through the prophets, and through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. 

The works through which God has revealed Himself to us are 
creation, redemption and sanctification. Creation is a vast book 
which speaks to us unceasingly of God, and it is intelligible to all. 
If we contemplate the magnificence of the starlit sky we must ex¬ 
claim with David: “The heavens show forth the glory of God, and 
the firmament declareth the work of his hands” (Ps. xviii). Yet not 
only the heavens, but also the earth shows us, at every step, the 
omnipotence of God, His wisdom and love. Mountain and valley, 
forest and field, river and ocean, they all remind us of God, their 


40 


THE ROSARY, 


creator. Every flower of field and meadow is a great masterpiece, 
which no mortal man could create. 

The animal world presents still greater marvels for our con¬ 
sideration. The waters teeming with millions of animals of all 
kinds, from the smallest jellyfish to the ship-destroying monsters, 
the beasts of the forest, the birds of the air, they all are called into 
existence by God, and God has not merely called all these creatures 
into existence, but His providence preserves them, and not even a 
sparrow falls from the roof without His knowledge. 

But we have not yet considered the masterpiece of creation: man, 
the creature with an immortal soul, created according to God’s 
own image and likeness. In man body and soul are joined together 
in a wonderful unity, so that man presents in himself a combination 
of the spiritual and material. 

Man is the masterpiece of creation, and all creation is for his 
service. “Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou 
hast crowned him with glory and honor; thou hast set him over the 
work of thy hands” (Ps. viii, 6). 

In very truth we may say, therefore, the universe speaks to our 
mind and heart in powerful and impressive language. This lan¬ 
guage is its beauty, its appropriateness, its greatness. 

But yet more plainly than creation does the redemption proclaim 
the glory of God. It is “not the immensity of the heavenly bodies,” 
says St. Gregory, “not the brilliancy of the stars, not the adornment 
of the universe, not the preservation of the world, that point so 
much to the glory of the divine power and omnipotence, as does that 
divine condescension to the feebleness of nature.” 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, descended from heaven and brought 
into the world a truer and fuller knowledge of God. The ancient 
people knew there was a God, but they knew Him not. The 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


4i 


knowledge of the true God was drowned in paganism. Even among 
the Jews small had become the number of those who still possessed 
an undefiled knowledge of God. In the Old Testament there was 
only an intimation of the blessed Trinity, not a clear knowledge. 
Then Jesus Christ brought to us the knowledge of the Triune God. 
In Him the divine attributes of love, sanctity, justice, wisdom, om¬ 
nipotence and mercy were presented to our minds so that we can 
comprehend them. He made known to us the merciful decrees 
which God had ordained for our temporal and eternal welfare. 
Through His bitter passion and death He reconciled us to the 
Father, and acquired for us the heirship of heaven. He founded the 
Church, the kingdom of God upon earth, and He rules it through 
the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from Him and the Father. 

Through this Church are applied the glorious fruits of the redemp¬ 
tion. Through this Church God w r ould sanctify all mankind and lead 
them to eternal salvation. The Church and the communion of 
the saints reveal to us God’s glory and love far more than all the 
wonders of the world. A single saint is a greater miracle of the 
divine grace than the whole universe. The redemption made of 
earth a preparatory school for heaven, and it behooves us, as St. 
Augustine says, in this life to give praise to God, because in heaven 
our work will be an eternal proclamation of the divine praises. Our 
whole earthly life, as a befitting preparation for heaven, should be 
an imitation of the life of the blessed in heaven. It ought to be a 
perpetual praise of God, until after a happy death we are admitted 
to the ranks of the celestial choirs. 

II. Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, who has brought to 
us the true knowledge of God, taught us also the true worship of 
God. After He had accomplished the work of the redemption and 
had founded the Church, He returned to heaven. Before this, how- 


42 


THE ROSARY 


ever, He provided that He should also remain here upon earth. He 
instituted the most Holy Eucharist, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 
and thus remains in His Church until the end of time. Jesus, the 
Head of the Church, offers Himself to the Father unceasingly in the 
holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Thus the glorification of God takes 
place here upon earth as unceasingly as it does in heaven. The 
praise of God takes place here on earth, furthermore, through the 
ecclesiastical hourly prayer, in which all the priests and religious of 
the Church unite throughout the world. The Church dedicates the 
Sunday exclusively to the praise and service of God. This day is 
to remind us of the creation accomplished by the Father, of the 
redemption accomplished by the Son, and of the sanctification ac¬ 
complished by the Holy Ghost. On this day especially are the 
members of the Church invited to contemplate these great works of 
God, and praise and thank Him for the same. 

The entire year has been divided by the Church into three great 
festival cycles, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, and thus is conse¬ 
crated to the Triune God. 

We are exhorted to receive the holy Sacraments, and thus partici¬ 
pate in the fruits of the redemption, sanctifying ourselves by a 
Christian life. A truly Christian life is the best and highest worship 
of God here below, as it makes us worthy to be associated with the 
heavenly choirs, there to continue eternally our praises in the blissful 
vision of God. 

We see then how the Church admonishes us to make our whole 
lives and all our works an unending “Glory be to God.” In order 
that this may be accomplished we must above all things be faithful 
children and living members of the Church, brethren of Jesus 
Christ. 

We must diligently and devoutly obey the Commandments, and 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


43 


receive the Sacraments. The light of faith should lead us and hope 
should draw us heavenward, the love of God and of our neighbors 
must fill our hearts. He who possesses these virtues is indeed in 
possession of all other virtues. Love is the bond of perfection, for 
who so loves God and his neighbor has fulfilled the law. We should 
make a good intention the first thing in the morning, and renew it 
frequently throughout the day. This certainly is not difficult. St. 
Paul exhorts us urgently to make this good intention in the words: 
‘'Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do; 
do all things for the glory of God” (I Cor. x, 31) 

To make this good intention, the “Glory be to the Father” is 
especially appropriate. If we utter the same frequently and devoutly 
we shall makes our lives a continual praising and glorifying of God, 
a perpetual prayer. Glory be to the Father, who has created us; to 
the Son, who has redeemed us; and to the Holy Ghost, who sancti¬ 
fies us. Glory be to the Holy Trinity through all our thoughts, 
words and works, as glory was to God in the beginning, when He 
created heaven and earth, as now, and so too through all eternity 
in heaven. Yes, we will glorify God here below with the militant 
Church, so that we may be worthy to behold Him one day with 
the triumphant Church, and to praise Him in blissful rapture for all 
eternity! Amen. 


44 


THE ROSARY; 


VII. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 

(d) The “Our Father ” 

“Lord, teach us to pray.”—Luke xi, I. 

Dear Brethren: The holiest, the most beautiful and most per¬ 
fect, and for this reason the most efficient prayer is the “Our 
Father.” 

This prayer comes from Our Lord himself, who gave it to His 
disciples when they urged that He should teach them how to pray. 
The “Our Father,” therefore, had its origin with God himself, and, 
therefore, is the holiest of prayers. It is a petition to His heavenly 
Father, composed by the God-man and bequeathed to us, His 
brethren. In this petition is contained everything we may ask 
for. Tertullian says in his writings that the “Our Father” con¬ 
tains not merely the things for which man ought to ask God, but 
also everything the Lord has taught and ordained, so that the whole 
Christian doctrine is briefly contained therein. The separate peti¬ 
tions are arranged according to their importance, and follow one 
another in a most appropriate way. Therefore, the “Our Father” 
is according to its origin, as also according to its contents and its 
form, the perfect prayer. 

The divine Saviour promised that everything we ask of our 
Father in heaven He will give us. When we recite the “Our Father” 
we not merely pray in the name of Jesus, but in His own words. 
Hence the Lord’s Prayer is to God the most pleasing prayer, and 
for that reason the most efficient and powerful of prayers. It is 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


45 


evident from the history of the Church that the Lord’s Prayer has 
at all times been held by the faithful in the highest esteem. It was 
used, as the fathers tell us, not only in public, but also in private de¬ 
votions. 

This holy, excellent and most efficacious prayer forms a part of 
the Rosary, and we will give it our consideration, in order the 
better to understand it, to appreciate it more fully, and to say it 
more devoutly. 

I. The “Our Father” consists of a preface and seven petitions. 
The preface is intended to lift up our thoughts to God. Holy Scrip¬ 
ture admonishes us to such preparation, “Before prayer, prepare 
thy soul: and be not as a man that tempteth God” (Eccles. xviii, 23). 
When beginning to pray we should present to our mind God as He 
is enthroned in heaven. We should approach God in humility and 
reverence with childlike confidence and love. Thus prepared for 
prayer we will be pleasing to God. To give our mind this disposi¬ 
tion is the purpose of the preface: “Our Father, who art in 
heaven.” Hence this preface should be said with devotion and 
piety. 

The seven petitions of the “Our Father” contain everything 
a Christian ought and may ask for. But what may and should a 
Christian ask for? For all things necessary and serviceable for 
the proper fulfilment of his life work. This prayer contains petb 
tions for everything necessary for the attainment of the last end 
for which we were created, and that is, in the first place, the 
glorification of God, and, in the second place, our eternal salvation. 
In the first four petitions Christ teaches us and commands us to 
beseech for the things that pertain to this last end, and in the last 
three petitions for protection against the things which hinder 
the attainment of this end. 


46 


THE ROSARY 


1. The glory of God is the first and chief purpose of all creation, 
as also of redemption and sanctification. It should be the occupa¬ 
tion of all mankind, as it is the occupation of the blessed in heaven. 

* 

We glorify God when we recognize Him as the highest good; when 
we love Him above all things, with a childlike love, serve Him 
faithfully, worship Him in all our thoughts, words and actions. 
As we are unable to do this by our own strength we must seek the 
assistance of grace, which we do in the words of the first petition: 
“Hallowed be Thy name.” By the words “Thy name” must be 
understood here, God himself, as He has revealed Himself to us 
and this petition is equivalent to saying: “Thou, O God, shalt be 
glorified by us and by all mankind.” We ask in the first petition 
that God may not be blasphemed, but rightly known, truly loved and 
duly revered. We implore God in this petition to enlighten the 
heathen that yet stand in the shadow of death, and all unbelievers 
and heretics, that they may learn to know and adore Him; and to 
grant sincere conversion to all sinners. We also ask, for our¬ 
selves and our fellow Christians, the grace to grow in the knowledge 
of God, in His love and service and in Christian perfection, so that 
thereby God may ever be glorified more and more. A truly Chris¬ 
tian life is our highest glorification of God, hence to obtain this 
grace we must diligently pray. 

This petition is placed first, because it is the most necessary to the 
glorification of God and to our salvation. It is also the foundation 
of the other petitions. 

2. In the second petition “Thy kingdom come,” a threefold 
kingdom of God is meant, for the coming of which we pray. It is 
the kingdom of God about us, in us and above us. The kingdom 
of God about us is the Church of Christ. Christ founded it as His 
divine kingdom on earth, to glorify God and lead mankind to 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 47 

salvation. We ask that God may grant to all men grace to recog¬ 
nize our holy Church as the divine institution, to submit them- 
selves to her authority, and to become members of this Church 
in order to properly worship the true God, to glorify Him, and. 
thus work their salvation. 

The kingdom of God is within us, when we allow ourselves to be 
ruled and guided not by the spirit of the world, but by the spirit 
of God. “Those who are moved by the spirit of God are God’s 
children.” In his soul is the kingdom of God established whose 
faith agrees with the teaching of the Church, who hopes, loves and 
lives in the true faith. 

The kingdom of God above us is the kingdom of heaven. The 
Church on earth is the kingdom of truth, of grace, of virtue; it will 
become in heaven the kingdom of glory. 

Through this triple kingdom God is glorified on earth and in 
heaven, and this is the first and chief aim of every created thing. 
Through this threefold kingdom we gain salvation, happiness and 
eternal life. That this threefold dominion of God may come to us 
and to all mankind we ask the Father in heaven in the second 
petition. 

In order that what we ask for in the second petition may be at¬ 
tained we must comply with the third petition: “Thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven.” Almighty God is the supreme ruler 
of heaven and earth. All creatures in heaven and earth must sub¬ 
mit themselves unconditionally to His holy will. God makes His 
will known to us through His commandments, and through His 
holy Church. We must be ready and willing at all times to do the 
will of God, and to submit to it in all things. We must obey His 
commandments, we must gladly and humbly submit ourselves to His 
dispensations, no matter what they may be. That God’s will may at 


4 8 


THE ROSARY 


all times be done by us, and in us, and in all things, this should 
be our ardent desire, not with a servile fear but with filial love, 
as Jesus has taught us by His word and example. But this far 
surpasses our own strength and for this reason Jesus teaches and 
enjoins us to beg the Father that He may grant to us and to all 
mankind the grace to do at all times His holy will. By this faithful 
submission of our wills to the will of God we glorify God in the 
most perfect way. 

3. In our earthly pilgrimage to heaven we require divine assist¬ 
ance in order to live our corporal and spiritual life according to the 
divine Will. For this reason Christ instructs us to pray in the 
fourth petition: “Give us this day our daily bread.” That means: 
Give us, O God, what we stand in need of for body and soul that 
we may live according to Thy holy will. 

We depend upon God in all things. He is our Creator and also 
our Preserver. We could not live a single moment without His 
aid. As we are composed of body and soul our wants are twofold, 
we have requirements for the body and others for the soul. We 
stand in need of food, shelter and clothing for body. All, rich and 
poor alike, must petition God for these, for each one stands in 
God’s hand. God can cast the rich man down like Job, and free the 
poor man from all want. The word bread includes all necessities of 
life. “Give me neither beggary nor riches: give me only the neces¬ 
saries of life” (Prov. xxx, 8). 

That we are told to pray for our daily bread should remind us 
that we must not be too solicitous for the morrow. He who gives 
unto us to-day will also provide for us to-morrow if we humbly 
ask Him. We say: Our bread, because it is our duty to earn it 
in an honorable manner by industry and labor. “He who toils not, 
shall not eat.” We say also our bread, and not my bread, be- 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 49 

cause we wish the poor who can not help themselves to have it as 
well as we ourselves, and we must share it with them as much as 
our means allow. 

As our body requires nourishment, so does our soul. The food 
of the soul is the word of God, and the Bread of Life that came 
down from heaven. We must partake of this Bread of the soul 
by hearing the word of God, by reading and meditation, and by 
receiving the Sacraments. 

Thus has Jesus in the four first petitions taught and commanded 
us to ask for everything that is necessary for the attainment of 
our last end. In the three remaining petitions He instructs us to 
pray for protection against all things which are obstacles to the 
attainment of that end. 

II. In these three petitions we ask that everything may be averted 
that would hinder us from attaining our true goal, our salvation 
and the glorification of God. 

1. This obstacle, however, is sin and its evil consequences and 
these three petitions have reference to sin and its evil consequences. 
We, like all men, are sinners, and in our sins we can not worship 
God properly, nor can we attain our salvation if God does not show 
mercy to us. For this reason we humbly implore God in the fifth 
petition: “Forgive us our trespasses.” In these words we implore 
God to grant unto us and to our fellow men a sincerely contrite 
heart and to graciously forgive us our sins and the punishment due 
for them. As a condition of forgiveness, however, God exacts from 
us that we forgive those who have offended us, as fully as we 
desire that God forgive us. Therefore, we add: “As we forgive 
those who trespass against us.” 

2 . In the sixth petition we implore God that He would graciously 
preserve us from falling into sin. “Lead us not into temptation.” 


5 ° 


THE ROSARY 


With these words we urge God that He should keep from us temp¬ 
tation to sin, or, if through temptation He desires to try us, that 
He grant us abundant graces to conquer it. Temptations do not 
come from God, but from our own nature, from Satan and from 
the world. God permits them in His wisdom to try our love for 
Him, to preserve us in humility, and to strengthen us, to animate 
our zeal for virtue and to increase our merits. God will assist us 
in temptation if we are exposed to it without any fault of ours. 

Those, however, who court the danger will perish in it. They 
can not expect divine assistance who wilfully seek temptation and 
sin. 1 ’ 

3. The seventh and last petition is “But deliver us from evil.” 
After asking God not to lead us into temptation we urge Him to 
preserve us from evil of soul and body. We confidently trust God 
to guide us according to His wisdom and mercy, and to deliver us 
from everything which is an obstacle to our salvation, even if in 
our own shortsightedness we may think it good and desirable. 

We conclude the “Lord’s Prayer” with the little word “Amen,” 
which is equivalent to “So be it.” With this single word we con¬ 
firm all our petitions. It means: “O God grant us these things 
for which we have just prayed.” 

Truly this prayer, taught us by Our Lord, is of high dignity and 
importance. It is not alone a prayer, but a sermon as well. It is 
a prayer which comprises in itself all other prayers. It is a prayer 
of praise, of thanksgiving and supplication. It is, therefore, appro¬ 
priate for all occasions. Are you discouraged and faint-hearted, 
go and say the “Our Father.” The thought that you have an all- 
merciful Father in heaven will lift you up, inspire you with confi¬ 
dence and comfort you. Do self-love and pride strive for the mas¬ 
tery within you, go and say, “Hallowed be Thy name.” Is anger 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


5 1 


and malice in your heart, say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we for¬ 
give those who trespass against us.” If impatience is your fault 
say, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” When beset 
by temptation invoke God: “Lead us not into temptation,” and in 
trial and adversity beseech God: “Deliver us from evil.” 

O that this holy and sublime prayer would be properly under¬ 
stood and appreciated. What blessings it would produce every¬ 
where. May then our contemplation contribute with the blessing 
of God toward our own love of this wonderful prayer and to our 
greater devotion in its recital. 


5 2 


THE ROSARY 


VIII. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 

(e) The Hail Mary. 

“And the angel said to her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, 
blessed art thou among women.”—Luke i, 28. 

Dear Brethren: To-day there is offered for our consideration 
one of the sweetest of prayers of our holy Religion. It is the “Hail 
Mary,” or Angelical Salutation, which we say so often, particularly 
in the Rosary. Considered in its origin, its contents, and in its 
efficacy it is beautiful and sublime, and, with the exception of the 
Lord’s Prayer, the most excellent. Its origin is to be had in the 
words which the Archangel Gabriel addressed to blessed Mary, 
ever virgin. To these have been added the words of St. Elizabeth 
on the occasion of Mary’s visit, and the holy Church has completed 
the prayer with a consoling supplication. Its very origin, there¬ 
fore, makes this prayer a holy and venerable one. 

The words of salutation are brief, but they contain everything 
that one could ever say in praise of the Virgin Mother of God. 

The petition includes briefly everything for which we may ask 
Mary. 

Let us then give our attention to this beautiful prayer in the 
name of Jesus and Mary, His blessed mother. 

I. I said, that in the first part of the “Hail Mary” all the privi¬ 
leges and glories which made the blessed Virgin so worthy of praise 
are contained. A closer examination will show us how true this 
is. Let us transport ourselves in spirit to Nazareth, to the quiet 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


53 


little room where Mary is praying in deepest devotion. Suddenly 
there enters this room one of the most exalted spirits that stand at 
the throne of the Creator. What does this messenger from heaven 
desire of this humble virgin, unknown to the world? He desires 
no less than her participation in our redemption. The only begotten 
Son of God, in His infinite love for mankind, has offered to take 
upon Himself human nature, to atone for our sins and to redeem 
us. The time appointed by God’s providence, when this great work 
was to be consummated, had now come. Mary, in the divine coun¬ 
sels, is destined to be the mother of the Saviour. The celestial 
messenger appears to bring this message to her, and to obtain her 
consent. God desired that Mary should voluntarily cooperate in the 
redemption. 

Mary cooperated in our redemption by proving herself worthy to 
be called to the divine motherhood, as far as this is possible for a 
human being. This she did by cooperating faithfully with the 
abundance of grace granted her by God, and thus proving herself 
worthy to become the mother of the Saviour. Through her vir¬ 
ginity she rendered herself worthy according to the body, and 
through her most profound piety and humility according to the 
spirit'. Both virtues stand forth most brilliantly in the annunciation 
of the angel. But she wished rather to forego the exalted dignity 
of divine motherhood, than relinquish the virginity which she had 
dedicated to God. And when the highest dignity which can be 
bestowed upon a creature was announced to her, she called herself 
the handmaid of the Lord. Mary, when convinced of the will of 
God, humbly consented, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, 
be it done unto me according to thy word/’ 

Through this consent Mary conferred upon the world an un¬ 
speakable great blessing, for which we should be eternally grateful 


54 


THE ROSARY 


to her. By this consent she became the second Eve, the spiritual 
first parent of the redeemed race. 

The angel, recognizing in Mary his future queen, now reverently 
set forth in brief words all the prerogatives which God had granted 
her, and was about to bestow upon her. These prerogatives are: 
(i) the fulness of grace which God had already granted unto 
her; (2) the dignity of mother of God which He nowi granted 
her, and, finally (3), the veneration and glorification which on ac¬ 
count of this fulness of grace and this dignity she would partake of 
in heaven and earth. 

The first privilege, fulness of grace, which she had received from 
God, the angel expressed with the words “full of grace.” These 
words mean: thou art filled with all the divine graces in a measure 
possible to no other creature; thou hast received to the full all 
graces. As God will exalt thee to a dignity beyond that of the most 
exalted spirits of heaven, so He has granted you more and greater 
graces than even to the Seraphim and Cherubim. Now since thou 
hast cooperated in a perfect manner with all these graces, thou hast 
become the most virtuous, the holiest, the most perfect of all crea¬ 
tures. Therefore, art thou worthy to become the mother of the 
Most High. 

Mary’s second privilege which the angel mentioned was her eleva¬ 
tion to the dignity of mother of God. “The Lord is with thee,” that 
is, God has bestowed upon thee every grace, and, finding thee worthy, 
thou art to be the mother of His Son, to cooperate in the redemp¬ 
tion and the salvation of the world. 

In the words “The Lord is with thee” is expressed the intimate 
relationship of Mary to God, accomplished by the Incarnation. Not 
merely through the fulness of His grace and love is God with her, 
but even according to the flesh God is intimately united to her. 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


55 


Mary’s third privilege announced by the angel is the exalted 
veneration which she merits for her dignity and sanctity. The angel 
expresses this in the words “Blessed art thou among women.” The 
angel had reference to the promise given by God in Paradise, that 
there would come a woman who should crush the serpent’s head. 
He had in mind also the renowned women of the old law who had 
rescued the people of God from peril and oppression, and who 
were for this reason blessed by the people, such as Judith and 
Esther. These heroic women were glorious prototypes, pointing to 
Mary who was to crush the serpent’s head, to destroy the designs of 
Lucifer, and to save the human race from destruction. Yes, truly, 
Mary is blessed by God among all women, and is herself an infinite 
blessing for the entire world. The Lord hath done great things 
in her. She realized this herself, in those prophetic words, “Behold 
from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed, for he that 
is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name.” 
And so it has been, and ever will be, as long as the sun illumines 
the earth. For more than nineteen centuries the people and nations 
have joyfully repeated the angel’s words, “Blessed art thou among 
women.” By precept of the Church we add the words “and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,” in order to join to our praise of 
Mary that of Jesus, from whom and on whose account she received 
all her privileges, and for whose sake she receives all this praise. 

II. After the prayer of praise in the “Hail Mary” there follows 
the prayer of supplication which the Church has added. This sup¬ 
plication is “Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, 
and at the hour of our death. Amen.” A short petition, but a sig¬ 
nificant one by which we invoke Mary’s intercession in all our needs. 
The words holy Mary, mother of God, form the opening of this 
petition. They repeat the truth contained in the prayer of praise, 


THE ROSARY 


56 

and are at the same time calculated to arouse our confidence in 
Mary. The name “Mary” alone should awaken our confidence in 
the blessed Virgin, because the name Mary means sovereign. Mary 
is indeed a sovereign, a ruler. As mother of the King of heaven 
and earth, she is the Queen of heaven and earth, and our lady, our 
queen as well. Mary means also star of the sea. As star of the 
sea Mary is to mankind what a kindly star is to the sailor who 
finds himself on the stormy waters. This world resembles an ocean, 
where storms and perils abound to the menace of body and soul. 
The winds and storms of temptations rise, the dangerous rocks of 
oppression threaten, the stormy waves of passion, of pride, of ambi¬ 
tion, of avarice, of anger, envy, revenge, avidity beat upon us. All 
these dangers trouble the heart and fill it with sorrow and fear. 
And as the star leads the sailor to a safe haven, so Mary is to us the 
kindly star that inspires us with consolation and confidence and 
brings us rescue. 

Holy Mary, mother of God! As mother of God Mary pos¬ 
sesses the power of mediation with her divine Son. The angels 
and saints all together can not have the influence that Mary 
exercises. The holy fathers and teachers refer to this power 
when they say Mary is omnipotent through her intercession, as 
God is omnipotent in Himself. Thus the opening of the supplica¬ 
tion inspires veneration and confidence in Mary. With this venera¬ 
tion and confidence then we ask, “Pray for us sinners.” Thou, the 
holy one, the powerful and good, pray for us miserable sinners, 
not worthy to approach God and be heard. Pray for us in all our 
temporal and spiritual necessities, in every danger of body and 
soul. Pray above all, to obtain for us the grace of a perfect conver¬ 
sion and repentance, and the grace of perseverance until the end of 
life. Pray for us, holy Mary, mother of God, now, while it is yet 


EXCELLENCE OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ROSARY 


57 


time for us to merit salvation, but pray for us especially when that 
solemn and sad hour of death has arrived. In that dark hour will 
be decided our eternal destiny; at that dread hour forsake us not. 
Pray for us now, and at the hour of our death. 

We have seen what an excellent prayer the Hail Mary is. It 
follows that it is also an efficacious prayer. When the Hail Mary 
was uttered for the first time by the Archangel it ushered in the most 
stupendous of all miracles. And whenever we devoutly repeat 
this salutation with faith and confidence, it will be for us also 
a means of grace and blessing. Whenever you salute Mary, says 
St. Bernard, she returns the greeting, she gives you in return 
consolation and blessing. 

Let us then recite this beautiful and excellent prayer most dili¬ 
gently and piously, and let us give special preference to the devotion 
of the Rosary which is a garland woven to blessed Mary from this 
prayer of praise. The quarter of an hour spent in reciting the beads 
will bring us blessings in life and a happy death. Plow we shall 
rejoice when we behold Mary face to face and greet her with the 
words: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art 
thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, to 
whom be praise for all eternity. Amen. 


53 


THE ROSARY, 


IX. THE PRAYER TO INCREASE THE THREE DIVINE VIRTUES 


“And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the 
greatest of these is charity.”—I. Cor. xiii, 13. 

Dear brethren, in beginning the Rosary one Our Father and three 
Hail Marys are said in supplication for the three divine virtues. 
These virtues are called divine because they have God for their 
Author or their object. In Baptism these virtues are infused into the 
soul together with sanctifying grace. Through sanctifying grace, 
received in Baptism, we are made children of God. From that mo¬ 
ment there is imposed upon us the duty, as soon as we shall be able 
to use our reason, of thinking, speaking and acting as behooves the 
true children of God. This duty we perform if we imitate the ex¬ 
ample of Jesus Christ, and if we endeavor to be perfect as our 
heavenly Father is perfect. But as this cannot be done by human 
power, the Holy Ghost has willed to enable us to do so, by imparting 
to us, in Baptism, the three divine virtues. By the infused grace of 
faith God gives us a supernatural light, in addition to the natural 
light of our reason, with the aid of which we may comprehend His 
revelations. God bestows upon us thus, through the virtue of faith, 
a share in His own wisdom. The supernatural grace of hope turns 
our thought heavenward, gives us an incentive to co-operate with 
grace. 

The supernatural virtue of charity renders us capable of loving 
God in a worthy and meritorious manner and of loving that which 
God loves. 

As the child arrives at the age of discretion, and obtains the right 


PRAYER TO INCREASE THE THREE DIVINE VIRTUES 


59 


use of reason, he is obliged to practise these virtues, and thus 
strengthen his soul and grow in grace. 

We are obliged to avaken frequently faith, hope, and charity 
towards God and our neighbor, in a practical manner. By the pos¬ 
session, practise and application of these three divine virtues we 
attain to Christian perfection. The more we learn to know these 
virtues, the more zealous we shall be in practising them, the more 
earnestly we shall strive for their increase, the more incessantly 
shall we pray for them. 

Let us, therefore, take these three divine virtues for the subject of 
our consideration. 

I. Faith is the first of the three divine virtues; it rs the founda¬ 
tion of the other virtues. Without faith in God, in His revelations 
and promises, there can be no Christian hope, no Christian charity. 
For this reason faith is the foundation of virtuous living: Christian 
faith is a virtue infused by God into our souls by which we are en¬ 
abled to believe firmly all that which God has revealed and which the 
infallible Catholic Church proposes for our belief. 

An act of faith requires the use of the understanding and the use 
of the will. The mysteries surpass our natural understanding; they 
are, furthermore, to be believed in a supernatural manner, and we 
require, therefore, the supernatural light of faith, added to the nat¬ 
ural light of our understanding, and we require also that our natural 
willpower be strengthened by the supernatural power of grace. 
This light and this power we receive in Baptism. The supernatural 
light of faith qualifies us to understand that the truths revealed by 
God are divine. 

In order to believe it does not suffice to know the divine truths as 
the Church teaches them, we must also, of our own free will, assent 
to them, and acknowledge as divine truths even those mysteries which 


6o 


THE ROSARY 


surpass our Human understanding. To that extent faith is a n atter 
of the will. God, through the light and the power of the grace of 
faith, comes to the assistance of our reason and will, in order the t we 
may confidently submit both to divine revelation, that is, to God In 
order that the infused virtue of faith may be meritorious for us, we 
must co-operate with grace by readily submitting our understanding 
and our will to divine revelation. Then this virtue of faith will not 
only be an infused one but, also, will be an acquired one and thus 
become a meritorious virtue. This actual and acquired virtue is for 
every adult the first condition of salvation. Still the acceptance of 
the divine doctrine is alone not sufficient for salvation. We must live 
in accordance with our faith; we must do good and shun evil. Such 
is the teaching of faith. “He truly believes who practises what he 
believes,” says St. Gregory, and St. James tells us that “Faith with¬ 
out works is a dead faith and avails nothing to salvation.” A living 
faith is the first condition and the beginning of salvation. Eternal 
happiness consists, as we are aware, in the vision of God. The living 
faith is a beginning of this vision. We know God through the Chris¬ 
tian faith, but only as in a mirror. “Now I know in part: but then I 
shall know even as I am known” (I. Cor. xiii, 12). 

II. The second of the divine virtues is hope. Christian hope is 
a virtue infused into our souls by which we confidently expect of God 
everything which He has promised us through the merits of Christ. 
God has promised us eternal happiness, also all things which we 
stand in need of, and that are profitable for us in our endeavor to 
attain eternal happiness. Jesus has merited these for us, and God has 
promised them to us for the sake of the merits of Jesus Christ. And 
because God has promised them to us we must confidently expect and 
hope for them, because God is omnipotent, merciful and faithful to 
His promises. 


PRAYER TO INCREASE THE THREE DIVINE VIRTUES 61 


This Christian confidence in God is bestowed by the virtue of hope, 
infused into our souls at Baptism. We must frequently exercise it in 
order to make it conducive to salvation. 

The virtue of hope is based upon the virtue of faith. Faith in¬ 
forms us of the promises of God, and that He is all-powerful and 
faithful in fulfilling His promises. Without faith Christian hope 
would not be possible. This the Apostle Paul teaches in his Epistle 
to the Corinthians, in plain words: “Faith,” he writes, “is the sub¬ 
stance of things hoped for” (Heb. xi, i). Hope is really, therefore, 
an active faith in the mercy and generosity of God. Christian hope 
is just as necessary for salvation as faith. “For we are saved by 
hope.” Thus the Apostle writes in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 
viii, 24). Hence, when we lose hope we forfeit our salvation. 

Christian hope is in part desire, in part confidence. It is a lively 
desire for eternal happiness, for the possession of God and for the 
means which aid us in gaining salvation. It contains in itself a heart¬ 
felt desire for forgiveness of sins, and for liberation from the pun¬ 
ishment due to sins. It includes an ardent longing for a virtuous 
Christian life. It is that hunger and thirst for justice of which 
Christ speaks in the eight Beatitudes. As God is the supreme good, 
combining every other good, so our desire for the blessed possession 
of God must be the sincerest, indeed, the sole, desire of our hearts. 
All other things we may desire only on God’s account, and only in so 
far as they are the means to help us to the possession of God. Who¬ 
ever experiences this desire will zealously pray for all things; he will 
be a man of prayer. 

Christian hope is not only desire, but also confidence. God has 
promised us forgiveness of our sins and the grace to do the good 
that is required of us. He has promised us after a Christian life the 
eternal happiness of heaven. He is ready to fulfil His promises. 


62 


THE ROSARY 


The fulfillment of the divine promise depends, however, upon our 
own co-operation, upon our sincere good-will, upon our co-operation 
with grace. Our confidence must, therefore, never become pre¬ 
sumption. The Apostle admonishes us to work out our salvation in 
fear and trembling. St. Francis de Sales calls confidence in God and 
distrust in ourselves the two balancing poles by the help of which we 
are enabled to keep our equilibrium. To distrust ourselves, and to 
have the fullest trust in God, this is the essence of Christian hope. 

Christian hope is an essential condition for eternal happiness. By 
hope we anticipate life eternal. It is to us a pledge and a foretaste, 
and when we shall pass into eternity with this living hope, our hope 
will be transformed into possession of that which we have hoped for 
—the possession of God, the supreme good. 

III. Charity, the third of the divine virtues, is the virtue infused 
by God into our souls which enables us to love God above all things, 
and for His sake to love our neighbor as ourselves. That such divine 
charity surpasses human power is quite evident. It is inseparably 
united to sanctifying grace. He who possesses sanctifying grace 
possesses also the virtue of divine charity. He who loses sanctify¬ 
ing grace through mortal sin, loses also divine charity. The virtue 
of charity is a participation in the divine charity with which God 
loves us. It is a divine commandment that we must love God with 
our whole heart, with our whole soul, with our whole strength, and 
that we must love our neighbor as ourselves, for God’s sake. To 
give oneself wholly to God, to prefer Him to all things, rather lose 
all things than offend Him, to seek to accomplish His holy will in all 
things, to observe His commandments, to offer up to God every 
thought, word, and deed, to work and suffer for God, to live and die 
for God, this is the true love of God. 

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that 


PRAYER TO INCREASE THE THREE DIVINE VIRTUES 63 


loveth me/’ Thus speaks the Son of God (John xiv, 21). To love 
God in this manner is made possible for us by the divine virtue of 
charity, received in Baptism. We may, however, co-operate with it 
and so fulfil God’s commandments. Only in this manner does the 
infused virtue become an acquired and meritorious virtue. The 
Christian virtue of charity is the greatest of all virtues. It presup¬ 
poses faith and hope because we must believe and hope in God before 
we can love Him: charity gives life to faith and hope. Without 
charity, faith and hope are dead and avail not for salvation. Who so 
loves not remains in death. Charity is not merely the greatest of all 
virtues, but it contains all Christian virtues; it is the essence of the 
Christian life. Through Christian faith we participate in the divine 
knowledge, through hope in the divine power, and through 
charity we participate in the divine justice and sanctity. Christian 
charity renders us holy, as the heavenly Father is holy, and perfect 
as the Father in heaven is perfect. It is charity which here on earth 
unites us with God. “He who abides in charity abides in God and 
God in him.” It is a virtue which continues for all eternity, when 
faith has become the vision, and hope the possession, of God. 

The love of God is inseparably united to the love of our neighbor; 
for, as St. Augustine says, there are two commandments but only 
one charity, because there is no other charity with which we love our 
neighbor than that with which we love God. Who so says that he 
loves God, but does not love his neighbor, in him there is no divine 
charity. 

We have seen, therefore, how the three divine virtues are the 
foundation of the Christian life, and that their practise constitutes 
Christian life. The true worship of God consists in practising these 
virtues which, at the same time, are the sole way to eternal bliss. 
Progress in the Christian life keeps pace with the activity of these 


64 


THE ROSARY 


virtues. This increase of virtue is, likewise, a gracious gift of God. 
We are ever obliged to co-operate with grace. We must strive for 
the increase of our faith, hope, and charity, by frequently practising 
these virtues, by the worthy reception of the holy Sacraments, by at¬ 
tentively contemplating the divine truths and, especially, by humble 
and heartfelt prayer. 

How feeble, indeed, is our faith, how wavering our hope, how in¬ 
sufficient our love of God and our neighbor. They need the strength¬ 
ening grace of God. 

To pray rightly, and to be worthy of being heard, we must awaken 
these fundamental virtues. Therefore, at the beginning of the 
Rosary we say devoutly one Our Father and three Hail Marys to 
ask God for an increase of these virtues. Because faith, hope, and 
charity should be both the basis and the fruit of the Rosary. Amen. 


EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY IN REGARD TO FORM 65 


X. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY IN REGARD TO ITS FORM 

“She reacheth therefore from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly.” 
— Wisdom viii, 1. 

The disposition of the heart is in prayer of more consequence 
than the manner of expression. Yet an appropriate form of 
prayer is helpful in avoiding distraction and in inducing devotion. 
Our Divine Saviour taught His disciples to make use of a special 
form of prayer, the “ Our Father.” 

The form of the Rosary helps appreciably in rendering the 
Rosary the great prayer it is. The Rosary has been aptly called 
the “ lay breviary.” For many centuries the faithful joined in 
the reciting of the breviary. As late as in the eleventh century 
St. Peter Damian urgently exhorted the faithful to participate 
in the ecclesiastical “ hours ” of prayer. And when gradually 
participation in the ecclesiastical prayer ceased, Divine Providence 
supplied the Rosary to take for the laity the place of the breviary. 
It may thus properly be called the “ lay breviary.” In fact it re¬ 
minds of the breviary of priests, for it contains verbal prayer and 
meditation, and the hundred and fifty “ Hail Marys ” of the 
Rosary correspond to the hundred and fifty psalms of the breviary. 

Let us now consider how appropriate the form of the Rosary 
is, and how it renders the Rosary a perfect prayer. 

The form makes the Rosary both an excellent devotion and a 
perfect prayer. Prayer is the first duty of all men. It is an article 
of faith that no man can work out his salvation without prayer. 
The real essence of prayer consists in the union of vocal prayer 
with meditation, or interior prayer. The true prayer is a con- 


66 


TEE ROSARY 


versation, or intercourse, of man with God. The combination of 
meditating with vocal prayer is an excellent means of participating 
in Divine grace. Meditation makes us realize our needs, the faults 
which we should lay aside, and the virtues which we must acquire. 
Sin makes man blind, meditation opens his eyes. Vocal prayer 
alone is not of itself a protection from sin, daily experience teaches 
this. There are many who say vocal prayers and yet fall into 
grievous sin and remain in that state. The reason is because they 
omit the contemplative prayer. Those who combine vocal prayer 
with meditation do not easily incur God’s disfavor, or if they do 
they at once resolve to amend and they lose no time in returning 
to God. A combination of meditation and vocal prayer is there¬ 
fore calculated to preserve us from sin, and to rescue us from that 
state, if unfortunately we find ourselves in it. It is also the most 
effective means for us to reach Christian perfection and eternal 
salvation. 

We should therefore combine with vocal prayers proper medita¬ 
tion if we desire our prayers to be more perfect. When we say the 
“ Our Father,” or the “ Hail Mary,” we should not merely utter 
the words with our lips, but should contemplate the purport of 
the words, lifting the mind to God, to whom we are praying, 

m 

otherwise our prayer will be merely a prayer of the lips. Re¬ 
member the words of our Divine Saviour: “ These people glorify 
Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” 

In saying the Rosary we combine vocal prayer with meditation 
upon the Sacred Mysteries. Where there is time for it a longer 
meditation is very beneficial and of great spiritual advantage. 
But if time is lacking, or when the Rosary is said in common with 
others, one should at least at every decade briefly put the mystery 
before the mind. Pondering upon the mysteries whilst saying the 


EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY IN REGARD TO FORM 67 


prayers is ordinarily requisite to gain the indulgences attached to 
the Rosary. 

The Rosary in its union of vocal prayer and meditation is a 
perfect prayer. The parts of the Rosary so appropriately succeed 
one another as to form a beautiful chain of prayers. We begin 
the prayers of the Rosary with the sign of the Cross, with which 
the Church commences all her prayers. This sign reminds us of 
the Most Holy Trinity in whose Name we were baptized, and to 
whom we belong absolutely, through creation, redemption, and 
sanctification. By making the sign of the Cross we place our¬ 
selves vividly in the presence of God, to whom we are praying, 
and awaken within us acts of faith, reverence, love, and confidence. 
Through the sign of the Cross there are dedicated to God in 
prayer the thoughts of the mind, the words of our lips, and the 
sentiments and feelings of the heart. Most assuredly the devout 
signing ourselves with the Cross is an excellent introduction and 
preparation for prayer. 

Then follows most appropriately the Apostle’s Creed. It de¬ 
clares more fully that which the sign of the Cross indicates. The 
twelve articles of the Creed contain that which we must firmly 
believe if we would be saved. 

The Creed most properly opens the Rosary because it is the basis 
of our faith. The Joyful Rosary expounds the article of faith: 
“ Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” The 
Sorrowful Rosary is a commemoration of the article: “ Suffered 
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.” The 
glorious is founded upon the article: “ Rose again from the dead, 
ascended into Pleaven and sitteth at the right hand of God.” Thus 
the entire Rosary is in truth a prayer of faith, and draws from the 
faith its force and efficacy. 


68 


TEE ROSARY 


After the Creed follows “ Glory be to the Father,” which is re¬ 
peated at every decade of the Rosary as it is also said in the 
ecclesiastical “ hours ” after every Psalm. To give glory to God 
is our chief duty, it must be our intention in all our words and 
works. To give glory to God must also be our principal intention 
in saying the Rosary. As we repeat this doxology at the end of 
each decade, we should again raise up our mind and heart to God 
with fresh sentiments of faith, love, and confidence. This pre¬ 
serves us from distraction and gives new zeal to our prayers. 

After the first “ Glory be to God ” we say one Our Father and 
three Hail Marys for the increase of the three divine virtues. The 
three divine virtues are the foundation of the right disposition 
which we must have, in order truly and worthily to honor God. 
St. Augustine says: “ God is to be glorified through faith, hope, 
and charity. They are the corner-stone of the Christian life.” And 
the Apostle says: “ The just man liveth by faith” (Heb. X, 38), 
meaning that man lays the foundation for his justification through 
faith, receives the life of justification from faith, perseveres in this 
just life through faith, perfects this life through the light and the 
power of faith whence hope and charity proceed. 

To promote this kind of life is the aim of the devotion of the 
Rosary. The more pious and virtuous we become, the more we 
glorify God and assure our temporal and eternal happiness. 

These prayers are the introduction and preparation to the prayer 
of the Rosary, which combines meditation of the Mysteries with 
the recital of the Our Fathers and Hail Marys. The Rosary is 
a prayer indeed for the glory of God and for honoring and invok¬ 
ing Mary the Mother of God. The Mysteries of the Rosary con¬ 
tain that which God has done in order to glorify Himself and to 
redeem, sanctify, and save mankind. At the same time these mys- 


EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY IN REGARD TO FORM 69 


teries from the lives of Jesus and Mary are fraught with touching 
examples for our own lives. In the devout contemplation of these 
mysteries, and in the application of the same to our own religious 
moral life, lie the gist of the prayers of the Rosary and the chief 
fruits which we should draw from this saving devotion. 

Certain critics of the Rosary cannot understand why the Hail 
Mary is so frequently repeated. But in the repetition lies the 
strength of the prayer, for holy perseverance is expressed by this 
repetition. The psalmist in the one hundredth and thirty-fifth 
Psalm repeats twenty-six times the words: “ For his mercy endureth 
forever.” And the heavenly hosts proclaim their “ Thrice Holy ” 
for ever and ever. 

We are perfectly right, therefore, in declaring that the Rosary 
is a thoroughly practical prayer, corresponding exactly to the neces¬ 
sities and peculiarities of our minds and hearts. 

We might challenge the world to name a more beautiful, a more 
excellent prayer. The Church therefore numbers the Rosary 
amongst her most efficacious prayers, and she has endowed it 
richly with indulgences to induce the faithful to say it frequently. 


70 


THE ROSARY 


* 


XI. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY ON ACCOUNT OF THE 

MYSTERIES COMMEMORATED 

“Unless thy law had been my meditation, I had then perhaps perished in my abjec¬ 
tion.”— Ps. cxviii, 92. 

Dear Brethren: In our former considerations of the Rosary we 
have discussed the prayers of which the Rosary is composed. The 
second chief part of the Rosary is the fifteen Mysteries. They are 
called Mysteries because the truths which they contain are hidden 
and cannot be comprehended except by Divine revelation. These 
Mysteries and their significance will be the subject of our dis¬ 
course to-day. It is the spirit and intention of the Church that 
these Mysteries be properly meditated upon while saying the Rosary. 
This we do by reflecting upon them, by applying to ourselves the 
lesson drawn from them, and by resolving to amend our life or 
to perfect it according to this lesson. 

I. The consideration of the Divine truths of salvation is abso¬ 
lutely necessary for all mankind, for no one can be saved who is 
not mindful of his salvation. We cannot attain happiness without 
serving and loving God. Yet he knows not God who does not give 
any thought to things divine. In order to learn to know God and 
to make progress in this knowledge we must contemplate the Divine 
attributes and perfections, and the works which proclaim them. 
The whole universe is preaching to us God’s omnipotence, wisdom, 
and love. The heavens tell of God’s glory, and the firmament 
proclaims the works of His hands. The tiny flowers in field and 
meadow, the birds in the tree, the stars in the sky, they all remind 
us of God and of His Omnipotence and Goodness. We ought not 


EXCELLENCE OF ROSARY — MYSTERIES COMMEMORATED 71 

regard these things thoughtlessly, they give us food for salutary 
thought and meditation. They exhort us to show love and grati¬ 
tude towards God, the merciful Father who has created all these 
things for us. 

God so loved the world as to sacrifice for it His only begotten 
Son. The Son so loved Mankind that He became Man, suffered 
for us and died upon the Cross, in order to ransom us from sin 
and ruin. We learn to know not only the malice, horror, and 
guilt of sin, but also the infinite mercy and love of God by ponder¬ 
ing on the works of God. 

In the work of sanctification, specially ascribed to the Holy Ghost, 
we perceive fresh wonders of God’s love. The Holy Ghost cleanses 
us from our sins and transforms us into children of God. He con¬ 
soles us with heavenly consolation, and leads us with His hand, 
conducting us to Christian perfection and to life eternal. By 
considering these divine works, often and earnestly, we learn to 
know God, and become desirous of loving Him and serving Him 
faithfully. To make progress in the knowledge of these divine 
things is the sacred duty of a Christian. But in order to be saved 
it is not sufficient to know God; we must also know ourselves. 
For this reason St. Augustine besought God: “ Let me know my¬ 
self, and let me know Thee.” We must learn to know our faults 
in order to correct them, and our evil inclinations so as to fight 
against them. We must ascertain what virtues we are lacking in 
so that we may strive to acquire them. We must understand the 
gravity of our sins to repent of them sincerely. Finally, we must 
understand our inability to acquire merit, so that we may seek 
from God grace, strength, and help. 

It is necessary also that we understand clearly the duties which 

we have to perform. 


72 


TEE ROSARY 


If we were profoundly impressed by the excellence of the Divine 
Laws, of the magnificent rewards that will be the share of those 
who observe the Commandments, and of the terrible chastisement 
awaiting the transgressor, who would ever presume to transgress 
these Divine Commandments? And what is calculated to impress 
us with these truths if not serious reflection upon them? 

The royal Prophet exclaims: “ Blessed are they that search his 
testimonies; that seek him with their whole heart” (Ps. cxviii, 2). 

Meditation has drawn numberless sinners from the depths of 
sin and protected untold numbers against sin. It is also, as St. 
Ignatius remarks, the shortest way to Christian perfection. Hence 
St. Teresa implores those who have not yet begun this meditative 
prayer, to do so in the name of God, and through the love of 
Christ, and no longer deprive themselves of this most precious 
and necessary good. 

Objection may be made by some that they cannot meditate, that 
they have not the ability to do so. The reply is that for meditation 
no skill or science is required. When you reflect upon an article 
of faith, upon a commandment of God, upon sin or virtue, upon 
God, your duties, and then awaken acts of faith, hope and charity, 
contrition, and thanksgiving, followed by resolutions of amend¬ 
ment, petitions to God for His grace and assistance to keep these 
resolutions, you have made a very good meditation. This much 
any one can do. 

Another objection may be advanced, that one has no time for it. 
A man living in the world has many business cares, but then the 
salvation of the soul is the chief business of man. Our Divine 
Saviour has said that one thing only is necessary, and this one 
thing is solicitude for the soul’s welfare. David had the cares 
of governing a great kingdom, and yet he said: “ O how have I 


EXCELLENCE OF ROSARY —MYSTERIES COMMEMORATED 


73 


loved thy law, O Lord, it is my meditation all the day.” (Ps. cxviii, 
97 .) No, my brethren, time and ability are not lacking. If any¬ 
thing is lacking, it is the good will. Therefore let us all make 
the firm resolution to give in the future due consideration to Chris¬ 
tian meditation so as to place our soul’s welfare in safety. 

II. The Mysteries of the Rosary offer us an easy method and 
material for our meditation. They give us a brief sketch of the 
life, passion, and death of Jesus Christ and the sorrows and joys 
of our Mother Mary. The fifteen' Mysteries are divided into three 
parts: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries. 

The joyful Mysteries of the Rosary contain events from the 
youthful life of Jesus. These are the Annunciation, the Visitation 
of Mary, the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation of Christ in the 
Temple, and the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. These 
five Mysteries comprise the foundation of the work of the redemp¬ 
tion. With all of them is intimately connected Mary, the Blessed 
Mother of the Redeemer. 

These five Mysteries set before us the example of Jesus and 
Mary. To make of us children of God, the Son of God became 
incarnate, and He is for us the model of a child of God. Mary, 
His holy Mother, is in all things His faithful likeness and thus the 
model for us in the imitation of Christ. 

The sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary remind us of the work 
of redemption, through the passion and death of Jesus Christ. He 
begins His passion in the garden of Olives in an agony of sorrow. 
By the scourging He did penance for our sins of the flesh, and by 
the crowning with thorns, for our sins of the mind. Then He bore 
His Cross to the place of execution, and with it the sins of the 
world, in order to efface our debt upon this Cross. 

These Mysteries teach us how to partake of the merits of the 


74 


THE ROSARY 


redemption. The consideration of our sins, of their malice and 
guilt, and a sincere contrition for them is the first step. The second 
is the discipline of our flesh and its evil desires by temperance, 
chastity, and mortification. The third step is the discipline of the 
spirit by humble obedience towards God and His holy law. The 
fourth is the patient bearing of our cross, and the last is that we 
die completely to sin, and live only for Christ. 

The glorious Mysteries of the Rosary tell us of the glorious 
fruits of the redemption. These are a new life of grace, resur¬ 
rection from the dead, and admittance into heaven. They speak to 
us also of the mission of the Holy Ghost, whose work is to sanctify 
us. In Mary’s assumption into Heaven we behold the most sub¬ 
lime work of the Holy Spirit, viz., her holy life here upon earth 
and her coronation in Heaven, the reward of this holy life for all 
eternity. All these things are calculated to induce in us a devout 
Christian] life. We behold what God has prepared for those who 
love Him, who live for Him, who work and suffer and die in His 
grace and love. 

Thus the fifteen Mysteries give us a short summary of the lives 
of Jesus and Mary. The events selected are best calculated to 
awaken our faith, to strengthen our hope, to inflame our hearts 
with love for Jesus and Mary, and to animate us to imitate the 
lives of Jesus and Mary. 

These Mysteries thus offer most excellent material for our medi¬ 
tations. They are so simple that every believing Christian may 
understand them, yet so profound and full of meaning that those 
most learned and advanced in the spiritual life may find therein 
ample food for edification. The public life of Jesus and Mary pass, 
as it were, before our eyes. 

How fortunate did the Apostles esteem themselves to have known 


EXCELLENCE OF ROSARY — MYSTERIES COMMEMORATED 75 


Jesus by sight, to have listened to the teachings from His own lips, 
to have gazed and meditated upon His holy life! We may draw 
the same profit from the diligent and devout meditation of the 
Mysteries of the Rosary. 

If we daily say the Rosary, and picture the mysteries to our¬ 
selves, what advantage may we not draw from them for our life! 
It will be for us a daily intercourse and association with Jesus and 
Mary that will enlighten our minds, elevate and ennoble our hearts, 
and powerfully invite our will to a true life of virtue. The Rosary 
is, therefore, an admirable means to lead a truly Christian life, 
and an admirable means, consequently, to attain eternal salvation. 
Let us all be zealous to avail ourselves of it and the Rosary will 
become a bond uniting us intimately with Jesus and Mary, and 
conducting us to the participation of their glory and happiness for 
all eternity. Amen. 










MOV 29 1912 















































































































































































